SHAPARAK – electronic card and settlement system -- has handled 3.9 billion transactions worth 3.93 quadrillion rials ($131.2 billion at the official exchange rate) during the first five months of the calendar year (started March 21). According to the Central Bank of Iran data, SHAPARAK accounts for half of the country’s 8 quadrillion rial ($264 billion) liquidity. CBI report reviews trends in payment methods, with POS terminals being the most popular. Although cellular phones and internet payments accounted for 1 billion transactions, the total transaction made by the two is close to 260 trillion rials ($8.6 billion). With $1.7 billion, Tehran Province had the highest number of dealings.
