393 transactions per second. This was the peak of operations* recorded at 12:13 pm on December 23, 2023, and represents a new historical maximum processed on the MULTIBANCO Network. SIBS Analytics data, which you can see in the attachment, shows that, on December 23rd, it was also the day with the highest number of purchases on the MULTIBANCO Network, 56% above the daily average for the year
The most recent data from SIBS Analytics reveals that consumption in Portugal, in the month of December 2023, increased compared to the previous year, registering a 16% growth in the number of operations compared to the previous year. The 21th, 22th and 23th of December were those that registered a greater volume of operations, with more than 8 million operations per day being recorded during this period.
Consumption growth was, however, more significant in online purchases: they increased by 37.9% in 2023, while in-store purchases registered an increase of 12.5% compared to the same period in 2022 – these advances follow the trend already recorded on the last year.
Online commerce continues to record a growth trajectory: online payments already account for 18% of total payments verified in December 2023, three percentage points more than in the previous year.
MB WAY also continues to be an increasingly popular choice for the Portuguese people purchases, something that is visible both in online and physical purchases. In the last month of 2023, a period typically marked by a high number of transactions, in-store payments through MB WAY grew 1.8x compared to the same period in 2022 and online purchases registered an increase of 1.7x compared to the same period .
SIBS Analytics data also allows for a deeper analysis of consumption by foreigners and Portuguese people outside the country, with the number of physical purchases made by Portuguese people abroad during the month of December registering an increase of 11% compared to the same period last year. The number of purchases with foreign cards in Portugal grew 23% compared to December 2022.
Finally, SIBS Analytics also allows us to verify that the sectors with the greatest increase in payments, that is, those that registered the greatest variation in the number of purchases in December 2023 compared to the rest of the year (January-November 2023) were Home & Decoration (sector that grew 2.2x), Games & Toys (2.0x), Perfumery & Cosmetics (1.9x) and Clothing & Accessories (1.8x).
Other relevant indicators considered can be analysed in the appendix and also on the website www.sibsanalytics.com.
*physical shopping + online shopping