Betalningar i Realtid (BiR)DiscontinuedSweden’s first instant payment system, owned by the banks. Its replacement by a central bank system marks the transfer of control over instant payments to the public sector.Bankgirot · since 2012Swish migrated to RIX-INST starting in February–March 2024 (Sveriges Riksbank, 2024)
Global registry · Europe · Northern Europe
Sweden Payment systems
10 systems listed.
CurrencySwedish krona (SEK)
RegulatorSveriges Riksbank / Finansinspektionen
Leading payment methods
CardsSwish (A2A)BNPL (Klarna)Wallets
E-commerce shares
Cards · 30%Account-to-account · 30%Buy now, pay later · 20%Wallets · 15%Other · 5%
Swish. Swedish banks’ instant P2P service (2012), settled since 2024 in the Riksbank’s RIX-INST instant payment system (previously BiR): about 8.5 million users out of 10.5 million inhabitants. From flea markets to the church collection plate, everything gets “swished.”
Swish users≈8.5M of 10.5M inhabitants
In-store cash share<8% of payments (Riksbank)
Klarna≈120M active consumers worldwide (Q2 2026)
Europe’s most cashless society: cash accounts for less than 8% of in-store payments. Sweden is Klarna’s home market, hence the record BNPL share. Public debate now focuses on resilience, and a legal requirement to accept cash for essential goods is under consideration.
IBAN · Sweden
24 charactersSEPA area36 bank codes523 BIC codes
- Total length
- 24 characters
- Bank code position
- 5–7
- BBAN structure
3!n16!n1!n
Structurally valid example
SEcountry code45check digits500bank00000058398257466account
SE45 5000 0000 0583 9825 7466
Learn about this market. The guides and courses that cover it.
Payments in SwedenMerchant, acquirer, PSPPayment regulationCentral banks and payment infrastructuresAgents, distributors, and banking-as-a-service: who is liable for whatPayments in the BalkansAccepting payments in Germany, Austria, and SwitzerlandAccepting payments in Spain and PortugalChoosing a jurisdiction for your payment institutionAccepting payments in the Netherlands and BelgiumAccepting payments in the NordicsAccepting payments in Poland and Central Europe
Instant payments
RIX-INSTA central bank outside the euro area that rents the Eurosystem platform for its national currency. Few Swedish banks offer instant payments in their online banking yet, so access goes through Swish.Sveriges Riksbank, on the Eurosystem's TIPS platform · since 2024Replaced Bankgirot’s Betalningar i Realtid (BiR); every participant must be able to receive payments for its customers (Riksbank / Norges Bank, 2024–2025)
SwishRuns almost entirely on account-to-account rails, including in stores and in e-commerce. It is the purest A2A model in Europe, and now a supervised infrastructure.Getswish AB ((six major Swedish banks), settlement in RIX-INST) · since 201291% of users turned to Swish at least once a month in 2026, up from 82% in 2023; Getswish became a licensed clearing organization under Act 2024:114, after its shareholder banks injected about SEK 450 million (Sveriges Riksbank, Betalningsrapport 2026)
TrustlyPan-European pay-by-bank provider of Swedish origin, one of the few to cover several Nordic countries and continental Europe under a single contract.Trustly Group AB · since 2008
Clearing and settlement
AutogiroSweden’s domestic direct debit in kronor, outside SEPA. Essential for subscriptions and recurring bills in Sweden.BankgirotAllows payments outside a fixed monthly cycle (Norges Bank, Dec. 2025)
Bankgirosystemet (Bankgirot)Addressing system based on the bankgiro number, a Swedish specificity with no equivalent elsewhere, now being overhauled. Any company operating in Sweden should follow this 2026 project.Bankgirot (Bankgirocentralen BGC AB) · since 1959New batch system planned for 2026; the Swedish supervisory authority has ordered Bankgirot’s owners to meet its requirements by the end of 2026; Bankgirot must refocus on clearing and drop several services (Norges Bank, Dec. 2025)
DataclearingenSweden’s second clearing system, separate from bankgiro, used for transfers addressed by account number.Finance Sweden (owner), Bankgirot (operator)Batch system dedicated to account-to-account transfers (Norges Bank, Dec. 2025)
Buy now, pay later
KlarnaEurope’s largest BNPL provider, with a full banking license, and owner of Sofort/Pay Now. It is at once a payment method, a de facto acquirer, and a lender.Klarna Group plc (company incorporated in England and Wales, listed on the NYSE as KLAR since September 10, 2025; its banking business sits in its Swedish subsidiary Klarna Bank AB, licensed by Finansinspektionen) · since 2005
Central bank digital currency
e-kronaDiscontinuedThe Riksbank ended its multi-year pilot, concluding there was not enough justification to issue at this stage, and refocused on the resilience of cash and payments. An important counterexample in a country often cited as the closest to going cashless.Sveriges Riksbank · since 2017
Other
BankID (Sverige)Sweden’s universal bank-issued digital identity, required to enroll in and authenticate Swish and nearly all online payments.Finansiell ID-Teknik BID AB · since 2003