Contactless Payment Card Shipments Soar in 2012
Major smart card vendors shipped more than 220 million contactless payment cards worldwide in 2012, according to the Smart Payment Association. Contactless technology was present on 23 percent of all smart payment cards shipped globally in 2012, up from 15 percent from the previous year. The association’s six vendors shipped 66 percent more contactless banking cards in 2012 than in 2011, from 135 million to 224 million. The six vendors represent 85 percent of global shipments, shipping a total of 975 million contact and contactless banking smart cards in 2012, or 9 percent more than in 2011. The association says issuers are ordering costlier payment cards with a contactless interface so they can offer more convenience to consumers, increase card usage and ticket size, and pave the way for mobile-contactless payments, especially with NFC phones. The Asia-Pacific region accounted for the most contactless cards in 2012, with 80 million shipped during the year, up 111 percent from 2011. Western Europe took delivery of 62 million contactless cards, reflecting a 106 percent increase from 2011, and the Americas received 54 million contactless cards, up 17 percent from 2011.
From “Vendor Group: Contactless Payment Card Shipments Soar in 2012”
NFC Times (04/23/13) Balaban, Dan