1833. Cost Recovery and Pricing of Payment Services

David B. Humphrey, Robert H. Keppler, and Fernando Montes-Negret
(October 1997)

The cost of providing payment services is substantial—about 3 percent of GDP. Cost reduction requires the appropriate pricing of those services.

A modern payment system is essential for promoting domestic and international trade and exchange as well as developing financial markets. Payment users will be directed toward the most efficient payment methods when the costs of producing those services are reflected in the prices paid.

Resources are being wasted in the United States because consumers see no important difference in transaction prices or bank costs between using a check or using electronic direct debit in paying a bill, even though the social costs of these two instruments are different. Electronic payments cost only a third to half as much as paper-based payments. An estimated $100 billion (or 1.5 percent of GDP) is being lost by the continued use of paper-based checks.

When payment instruments are not appropriately priced, the costs must be covered elsewhere. One common solution is to let loan revenues cover part of payment expenses (keeping loan rates higher to compensate). When prices reflect the full cost of producing the service, users demand the services that use the fewest real resources.

Humphrey, Keppler, and Montes-Negret give examples of payment prices and price schedules and show how underlying cost data are used to "build up" to a price. They outline how payment services may best be structured to:

• Appropriately reflect economies of scale or scope in the production of payment services.
• Adjust cost recovery percentages to accommodate how much demand conditions associated with start-up differ from those associated with mature operation. (During a new system's early years of operation, the transaction volume may be low and some form of underrecovery of costs may be required to encourage use of the system. But any such underrecovery must be built into future pricing arrangements once the systems are established and traffic volumes are at a level where full cost recovery is practical. To ensure fairness, the pricing structure must also guarantee that latecomers to the system do not get more favorable treatment than the initial user group.)
• Induce efficient use of scarce resources.

They note the economic principles that recommend certain pricing methods over others and apply equally to payment services provided by the private sector or through a government agency. They show why costs should be recovered through user transaction fees.

This paper—a product of the Financial Sector Development Department—is part of a larger effort in the department to promote the development of financial sector infrastructure to support banking and capital market activities. Copies of the paper are available free from the World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433. Please contact Tomoko Ishibe, room F6K-280, telephone 202-473-8968, fax 202-522-3199, Internet address tishibe@worldbank.org. (41 pages)

The full report is available in PDF format.