According to indicators available to the Croatian National Bank, the National Clearing System (NCS) started operating successfully: on the first day of its operation - on Monday, February 5, 2001 - no significant difficulties were observed and the system functioned according to expectations with 366,454 transactions processed.

On February 5, 2001 the value of interbank transactions on the Zagreb Money Market amounted to 49.9 million kuna (the average interest rate charged was 7%), the value of interbank transactions outside the Money Market amounted to 33.4 million kuna (the average interest rate charged was 9.70%). On February 6, 2001 the overnight ZIBOR was 12.25%. The observed level of interest rates is moderately higher than the level recently recorded. It has been estimated, however, that this moderate rise of interest rates is a temporary development, which occurred due to the running-in of the new clearing system and will have no long-term effect on interest rates.

According to available indicators, the start of the NCS was marked by a somewhat higher use of Lombard credits, but at the same time, less intensive use of overnight loans - a result of the fact that in the NCS banks must have coverage on their accounts for every non-cash payment transaction in the very moment of its realization, not at the end of the day, as was previously the case.