Competitive and efficient financial services markets are of paramount importance for every economy and also for the economy of the Republic of Croatia. The rapid development of information technology over the last 20 years has contributed to the significant progress of the card market and payment transactions. This is where new forms of payment through payment cards or the emergence of electronic money have begun. Banks today offer a wide range of payment cards that offer numerous opportunities to their customers. That is why the number of payment cards is growing steadily, as they provide quick and easy access to account funds, without waiting in the crowd. Today, payment cards are one of the most important payment instruments in the world because of their simplicity, time savings, and most of the security of handling card resources. The emergence and development of the card market has also led to the development of payment infrastructure that attaches most importance to ATMs and EFT POS devices which are of paramount importance for the operation of payment cards. The importance of ATMs is evident primarily through the reduction of crowds and queues in banks to raise money, while the importance of EFT POS devices is manifested through facilitated access to lighter traffic without having to go for cash at ATMs or at the bank. This paper deals with key concepts for understanding these topics such as banking, bank, payment card, debit card, credit card, ATM and EFTPOS device. It is in detail analyzed from several aspects card market and platinum infrastructure in the Republic of Croatia from 2014 to 2018 and at the end of the paper it is pointed to the potential threats and abuses that threaten today's card market and payment system.