The following news report points to the continued desire of the EU
consumer to use and accept the debit card. The PinPay SoftCard is
a form of a debit card, with real dollars as opposed to a credit card,
with a line of credit and interest payments, and SoftCard uses a
secure PIN code to bring true security to a payment transaction or
money transfer. We believe the debit card and the PinPay SoftCard
will remain a very popular means of payment for the foreseeable
future, in the EU, the US, Latin America and Asia.
Source: ATM Marketplace, Jan 7, 2008
Debit Card Growth in the EU
Western Europe sees strong debit-card growth, 07 Jan 2008
LONDON: The number of payment cards in Western Europe
increased by 9 percent from 2004 to 2006, hitting a total of 787
million, according to research firm Retail Banking Research Ltd. Each
adult in the region now has more than two payment cards.
According to RBR, the United Kingdom remains the region's largest
market, despite a fall in its card numbers as a result of credit-card
issuers closing dormant accounts.
In its latest report, Payment Cards Western Europe 2008, RBR
releases its latest cards-related research.
Key findings from 17-country study include:
787 million payment cards in Western Europe. Debit cards continue to
dominate Closure of dormant accounts in the U.K. causes 8% fall in
credit cards in issue. Card-holding reaches two per adult.
consumer to use and accept the debit card. The PinPay SoftCard is
a form of a debit card, with real dollars as opposed to a credit card,
with a line of credit and interest payments, and SoftCard uses a
secure PIN code to bring true security to a payment transaction or
money transfer. We believe the debit card and the PinPay SoftCard
will remain a very popular means of payment for the foreseeable
future, in the EU, the US, Latin America and Asia.
Source: ATM Marketplace, Jan 7, 2008
Debit Card Growth in the EU
Western Europe sees strong debit-card growth, 07 Jan 2008
LONDON: The number of payment cards in Western Europe
increased by 9 percent from 2004 to 2006, hitting a total of 787
million, according to research firm Retail Banking Research Ltd. Each
adult in the region now has more than two payment cards.
According to RBR, the United Kingdom remains the region's largest
market, despite a fall in its card numbers as a result of credit-card
issuers closing dormant accounts.
In its latest report, Payment Cards Western Europe 2008, RBR
releases its latest cards-related research.
Key findings from 17-country study include:
787 million payment cards in Western Europe. Debit cards continue to
dominate Closure of dormant accounts in the U.K. causes 8% fall in
credit cards in issue. Card-holding reaches two per adult.
Debit Card Growth in the EU
Six countries account for more than 80 percent of cards in the region, with the U.K. remaining the largest
with 161 million cards. Germany is second with 127 million cards. Following in card numbers, some way
behind, are France, Spain, Turkey and Italy.
At the other end of the scale, Finland, Austria, Denmark and Ireland are all home to fewer than 10 million
cards.
Western Europe's largest card markets in 2006
Country Cards (million) Share:
UK 160.9 20.5%
Germany 126.8 16.1%
France 96.5 12.3%
Spain 90.2 11.5%
Turkey 87.1 11.1%
Italy 69.7 8.9%
Others 155.3 19.7%
Total 786.6 100.0%
Debit
The number of debit cards increased by 10.4 percent between 2004 and 2006, reaching 406 million. More
than half of cards issued in Western Europe are debit cards, while one-third are credit cards. The remaining
15% are charge cards.
Most countries have more debit than credit cards. However, in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands
and Turkey debit cards account for more than three-fifths of the market.
Issuance of prepaid cards, included in the debit sector, remains under developed, although such cards are
expected to gain in importance over the next few years as banks target people who do not hold bank
accounts, and as companies use them to control employee expenditure.
Share of payment cards in Western Europe in 2006
The number of credit cards in the U.K. fell 7.9% between 2004 and 2006. This was primarily a result of the
closure of dormant accounts.
Because of the U.K.'s dominance in the cards market, the result has been a decrease of 0.2 percentage
points in the Western European share of credit cards between 2004 and 2006.
In most countries, however, credit cards are driving growth. The number of such cards in Italy rose by 64%
percent and in Norway by 32% percent. In a number of countries, charge cards are being reissued as credit
cards.
The U.K., France, Greece, and Ireland are the only countries where credit cards outnumber debit cards.
In France, the majority of credit cards are issued by private-label companies, as French banks historically
did not have expertise in assessing credit histories.
In Greece and Ireland the higher proportion of credit cards relates to the relatively recent establishment of
debit-card systems.
As for the U.K., the abundance of credit cards dates back to the relaxation of regulations governing the
granting of consumer credit in the 1980s and the economic boom later that decade.
Western Europe's fastest-growing credit card markets, 2004-2006
Country Cards
(million) Growth
2004-2006 (million) Growth Rate
2004-2006
Italy 14.0 5.5 64.2%
Norway 3.3 0.8 31.8%
Portugal 4.7 1.0 27.2%
Sweden 5.2 1.1 27.0%
Finland 3.0 0.7 26.9%
Denmark 1.8 0.4 24.4%
Others 227.6 11.0 5.1%
Total/Average 259.5 20.3 8.5%
All countries in the region have at least one card per adult, and eight (the U.K., Norway, Spain, Sweden, The
Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland and Portugal ) have more than two per adult.
Ten countries have more than one debit card per adult.
Cardholding in Western Europe in 2006
Financial institutions are by far the most important issuers of payment cards and account for 83% percent of
cards in circulation an increase of 1 percentage point from two years ago.
Private-label cards are being converted to bank cards as issuers have added the MasterCard or Visa brand
to extend their acceptance network.
One such example is Cetelem, which issues the Aurore card, known as Aurora or Aura. As a result, the
share of private-label cards has declined by 1 percentage point since 2004, hitting 16 percent.
The only countries where private-label cards account for more than a quarter of the national market are
France, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Switzerland. These are all countries where the use of cards for
payment is well-established.
Card usage growing faster than cardholding
A total of 27.2 billion card payments were made in the region in 2006, a rise of 17% from the 2004 figure of
23.2 billion payments. Transaction volumes are thus growing considerably faster than card numbers.
Debit cards are the dominant form of card payment based on volumes, accounting for 63% of transactions
despite that the fact they account for only 52% of cards.
In contrast, credit card payment volumes stand at only 17%, compared with 33% of cards in circulation.
The comparatively low volume of credit cards is partly attributable to the significant share of private-label
cards, which tend to be used only occasionally to fund high-value purchases.
Third-party processors extend national presence
Card processing in Europe has remained nationally based. However, third -party processors have been
extending their presence across Europe.
First Data Corp., which was acquired by Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co in 2007, offers third-party
processing services in a number of Western European countries.
KKR's takeovers include Austrian Payment Systems Services in Austria and GZS of Germany in 2005.
Also in 2005 International Card Service, a Fortis subsidiary in The Netherlands specializing in credit cards,
formed a joint venture in acquiring with First Data International called European Merchant Services.
Another significant player is Atos Origin, which acquired Belgium's Banksys and Bank Card Company in
2006. The former runs Belgium's debit-card system and the latter is the country's main Visa and MasterCard
acquirer.
Several countries lagging in EMV migration
Western European countries are at different stages in the migration of cards, POS terminals and ATMs to
EMV standards.
There are a number of drivers of EMV, including the liability shifts introduced by MasterCard and Visa,
reduction in lost and stolen card fraud, and the likelihood of fraud migration from countries that have
implemented EMV into those that have not.
Some countries, notably the U.K. and France, have made considerable headway in EMV migration. More
than 95 percent of bank-issued cards, POS terminals and ATMs were EMV-compliant by April 2007 in both
countries.
Many Western European countries lag, however. Among those lagging are Greece, Italy, Netherlands,
Portugal, and Spain for payment cards; Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden for POS
terminals; and Greece and Italy for ATMs.
with 161 million cards. Germany is second with 127 million cards. Following in card numbers, some way
behind, are France, Spain, Turkey and Italy.
At the other end of the scale, Finland, Austria, Denmark and Ireland are all home to fewer than 10 million
cards.
Western Europe's largest card markets in 2006
Country Cards (million) Share:
UK 160.9 20.5%
Germany 126.8 16.1%
France 96.5 12.3%
Spain 90.2 11.5%
Turkey 87.1 11.1%
Italy 69.7 8.9%
Others 155.3 19.7%
Total 786.6 100.0%
Debit
The number of debit cards increased by 10.4 percent between 2004 and 2006, reaching 406 million. More
than half of cards issued in Western Europe are debit cards, while one-third are credit cards. The remaining
15% are charge cards.
Most countries have more debit than credit cards. However, in Austria, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands
and Turkey debit cards account for more than three-fifths of the market.
Issuance of prepaid cards, included in the debit sector, remains under developed, although such cards are
expected to gain in importance over the next few years as banks target people who do not hold bank
accounts, and as companies use them to control employee expenditure.
Share of payment cards in Western Europe in 2006
The number of credit cards in the U.K. fell 7.9% between 2004 and 2006. This was primarily a result of the
closure of dormant accounts.
Because of the U.K.'s dominance in the cards market, the result has been a decrease of 0.2 percentage
points in the Western European share of credit cards between 2004 and 2006.
In most countries, however, credit cards are driving growth. The number of such cards in Italy rose by 64%
percent and in Norway by 32% percent. In a number of countries, charge cards are being reissued as credit
cards.
The U.K., France, Greece, and Ireland are the only countries where credit cards outnumber debit cards.
In France, the majority of credit cards are issued by private-label companies, as French banks historically
did not have expertise in assessing credit histories.
In Greece and Ireland the higher proportion of credit cards relates to the relatively recent establishment of
debit-card systems.
As for the U.K., the abundance of credit cards dates back to the relaxation of regulations governing the
granting of consumer credit in the 1980s and the economic boom later that decade.
Western Europe's fastest-growing credit card markets, 2004-2006
Country Cards
(million) Growth
2004-2006 (million) Growth Rate
2004-2006
Italy 14.0 5.5 64.2%
Norway 3.3 0.8 31.8%
Portugal 4.7 1.0 27.2%
Sweden 5.2 1.1 27.0%
Finland 3.0 0.7 26.9%
Denmark 1.8 0.4 24.4%
Others 227.6 11.0 5.1%
Total/Average 259.5 20.3 8.5%
All countries in the region have at least one card per adult, and eight (the U.K., Norway, Spain, Sweden, The
Netherlands, Finland, Switzerland and Portugal ) have more than two per adult.
Ten countries have more than one debit card per adult.
Cardholding in Western Europe in 2006
Financial institutions are by far the most important issuers of payment cards and account for 83% percent of
cards in circulation an increase of 1 percentage point from two years ago.
Private-label cards are being converted to bank cards as issuers have added the MasterCard or Visa brand
to extend their acceptance network.
One such example is Cetelem, which issues the Aurore card, known as Aurora or Aura. As a result, the
share of private-label cards has declined by 1 percentage point since 2004, hitting 16 percent.
The only countries where private-label cards account for more than a quarter of the national market are
France, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and Switzerland. These are all countries where the use of cards for
payment is well-established.
Card usage growing faster than cardholding
A total of 27.2 billion card payments were made in the region in 2006, a rise of 17% from the 2004 figure of
23.2 billion payments. Transaction volumes are thus growing considerably faster than card numbers.
Debit cards are the dominant form of card payment based on volumes, accounting for 63% of transactions
despite that the fact they account for only 52% of cards.
In contrast, credit card payment volumes stand at only 17%, compared with 33% of cards in circulation.
The comparatively low volume of credit cards is partly attributable to the significant share of private-label
cards, which tend to be used only occasionally to fund high-value purchases.
Third-party processors extend national presence
Card processing in Europe has remained nationally based. However, third -party processors have been
extending their presence across Europe.
First Data Corp., which was acquired by Kohlberg, Kravis, Roberts & Co in 2007, offers third-party
processing services in a number of Western European countries.
KKR's takeovers include Austrian Payment Systems Services in Austria and GZS of Germany in 2005.
Also in 2005 International Card Service, a Fortis subsidiary in The Netherlands specializing in credit cards,
formed a joint venture in acquiring with First Data International called European Merchant Services.
Another significant player is Atos Origin, which acquired Belgium's Banksys and Bank Card Company in
2006. The former runs Belgium's debit-card system and the latter is the country's main Visa and MasterCard
acquirer.
Several countries lagging in EMV migration
Western European countries are at different stages in the migration of cards, POS terminals and ATMs to
EMV standards.
There are a number of drivers of EMV, including the liability shifts introduced by MasterCard and Visa,
reduction in lost and stolen card fraud, and the likelihood of fraud migration from countries that have
implemented EMV into those that have not.
Some countries, notably the U.K. and France, have made considerable headway in EMV migration. More
than 95 percent of bank-issued cards, POS terminals and ATMs were EMV-compliant by April 2007 in both
countries.
Many Western European countries lag, however. Among those lagging are Greece, Italy, Netherlands,
Portugal, and Spain for payment cards; Finland, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Sweden for POS
terminals; and Greece and Italy for ATMs.
| PinPay.org: Agent - ISO (International Sales Organization) Marketing and Sales Website for PinPay.net! |
PinPay, debit card, credit card, EFT, No Identity Theft, E-Cash, E-Money, No Fraud, No Charge-Backs, No Hold-Backs, MasterCard,
Visa, Discover, American Express, make money, residual income, passive income, business opportunity, money transfer, pin debit
Visa, Discover, American Express, make money, residual income, passive income, business opportunity, money transfer, pin debit
PinPay, debit card, credit card, EFT, No Identity Theft, E-Cash, E-Money, No Fraud, No Charge-Backs, No Hold-Backs, MasterCard,
Visa, Discover, American Express, make money, residual income, passive income, business opportunity, money transfer, pin debit
Visa, Discover, American Express, make money, residual income, passive income, business opportunity, money transfer, pin debit
| PinPay.org ~ PinPay Agent - Independent Sales Organization (ISO) Tel: 850-215-1749 ~ www.PinPay.org ~ info@pinpay.org |
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