Study: Contactless card shipments grow

Munich, Germany - Contactless payment card shipments accelerated globally in 2013. According to figures released by the Smart Payment Association (SPA), contactless technologies were present on 37% of all smart payment cards shipped in 2013.



By far the greatest increase was experienced in the Asia Pacific region, where contactless shipments grew by 193%, compared to 2012. Other regions around the globe experienced strong growth rates, ranging from 45% in the Americas to 64% in Western Europe.



In 2013 more than 450 million contactless cards were delivered by SPA members in more than 30 countries worldwide. Shipments of dual interface cards, incorporating both chip-and-PIN and contactless technologies, grew by 115% in 2013, largely driven by growth in Asia and Europe. As a result, dual interface cards now represent 94% of all contactless shipments.



“The data from this report reveals a growing hunger by consumers for the convenience and immediacy of contactless payment, and issuers are responding with innovative payment options, including those with transit features that put them ‘top of wallet’,” says Sylvie Gibert, president of the Smart Payment Association.