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Amount of Polish credit cards hits record

Visa rapid numerical growth has been accompanied by an expansion of cashless payments, which is a strategic goal for Visa Europe and its member banks. In the year ending March 31, 2009, the number of cashless transactions rose 28.9% to reach 414.6 million throughout the period, with the POS CEV going up 27% to €12.3 billion. In terms of all transactions on Visa cards, including ATM cash withdrawals, the overall transaction number reached 865.5 million and their combined value exceeded €52.1 billion.
Speaking at a press conference in Warsaw, Peter Ayliffe, President and CEO of Visa Europe, said: “We congratulate Poland on so rapid growth which put the country in the sixth place in Europe in terms of Visa issuance. The increase in cashless payments, much higher than the European average, has been bringing Poland closer to West European countries, where cashless transactions represent a perceptible proportion of total transactions, with all the attendant benefits for the economy.”
Peter Ayliffe stressed the importance which the Polish launch of Visa payWave contactless application will have for cashless growth — by enabling swift and convenient card payments for small value purchases, a segment currently dominated by cash. Visa payWave contactless technology is also introduced in a number of European countries: Italy, Switzerland, Turkey and UK. On the British market, the issuance of Visa payWave contactless cards is expected to surpass 6 million by the end of 2009.
In Poland, more than 33,000 Visa payWave cards have so far been issued by Bank Zachodni WBK (BZ WBK). Two other banks are going to launch their own Visa payWave cards by the end of this year. The acceptance network for Visa payWave is currently run by eService acquirer, and in the latter half of 2009 two more entrants will be licensed to sign up retailers.
Visa Europe has also been rolling out mobile payment programmes which combine the benefits of contactless cards with the widespread use of mobile phones. Pilot programmes are currently under way in four countries in Europe - including the UK - involving banks, telecom operators and other partners. In Poland, too, Visa Europe has been engaged in work on a mobile payment pilot.
During the press conference, Peter Ayliffe demonstrated an NFC-enabled mobile phone which makes possible payments by just bringing the mobile close to a contactless reader. A day before the conference, Poland’s first Visa mobile payment was conducted via a mobile set with Visa payWave application, used on a regular basis in London. The transaction was made at a news stand in the Marriott Hotel, with 22 Polish zloty for newspapers and a chocolate bar charged to a card account handled by a British bank.
“When introducing innovative products and services, such as Visa payWave contactless, or Visa cash back — which is already available from more than 15,000 retailers in Poland — a crucial factor is multilateral collaboration among member banks, acquirers and Visa Europe,” said Gosia O’Shaughnessy, Visa Europe general manager for Poland. “Such collaboration is rendered possible by Visa Europe’s association model of governance which assigns a considerable role to local decision-making. One example of excellent cooperation is Visa Poland, a joint organisation of Polish member institutions and Visa Europe, which has been taking a host of initiatives, for example, to broaden card acceptance in Poland.”
The role of shared action can also be seen in joint public-education initiatives, involving e.g. credit cards.
The increasing popularity enjoyed in Poland by credit cards — a new payment instrument for many consumers — has prompted an information and education campaign, conducted since early 2008  by Visa Europe and its Polish member banks to promote cards’ advantages and their rational use. In the autumn of 2008 the Polish Bank Association, partnering with Visa Europe, opened a web-based service KartyBezTajemnic.pl, disseminating knowledge about payment cards. A series of educational programmes was also broadcast by Polish Public Radio’s Channel III, Radio Golden Hits, and regional stations affiliated in the Audytorium17 network.