VISA
Visa today announced that it has processed one billion additional touch-free payments1 , where previously consumers would have needed to enter their PIN, as consumer confidence in contactless payments continues to grow. This milestone has been reached in less than a year since contactless payment limits were increased in 29 countries across Europe in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The growth of contactless payments has been a key trend during the pandemic, as touch-free payments have gone from being a convenience to a necessity for both consumers and retailers. Research from Visa shows that two-thirds (65%) of consumers globally would prefer to use contactless payments as much as, or more than, they are currently2 .
Charlotte Hogg, Chief Executive Officer, Europe at Visa, commented: “The demand for touch-free payments indicates that contactless has become the norm for European consumers and retailers. Contactless payments are popular because they combine speed and convenience with security. Indeed, contactless cards experience among the lowest fraud rates of any payment type and in countries where contactless payments are widely used, fraud at the point of sale remains at historic lows.
“Today’s milestone demonstrates how consumers and retailers now rely on digital solutions to make everyday payments. Enabling contactless payments will be key to Europe’s economic recovery and while raising contactless limits alone won’t revitalise the European economy, it is a step in the right direction, giving consumers the confidence to spend, and providing shops, restaurants and other retailers a boost just when they need it most.”
Growing demand for contactless transactions is evident across Europe, with over 80% of in-store Visa payments now contactless3 . In France and Germany, the number of contactless transactions has increased by two thirds and almost half respectively year-on-year4 . Of the one billion transactions, 400 million took place in the UK5 , and further growth can be expected given the announcement that the UK contactless limit will increase to £100 later this year.
The popularity of ecommerce is also surging across Europe, with over 15 countries experiencing a 40% or higher increase in ecommerce transactions in December 2020 versus the year before6 .
With many businesses having to operate under restrictions and keep up with changing consumer behaviour, merchants are increasingly moving to online operations and embracing digital and contactless payments. Visa is working closely with its clients and partners to digitally enable over eight million small businesses across Europe, helping them adapt to enable customers to shop the way they want.
Contactless remains one of the most popular and secure payment methods for Visa customers and will be crucial to Europe’s economic recovery when restrictions lift and shops reopen.
- END -
About Visa
Visa Inc. (NYSE: V) is the world’s leader in digital payments. Our mission is to connect the world through the most innovative, reliable and secure payment network - enabling individuals, businesses and economies to thrive. Our advanced global processing network, VisaNet, provides secure and reliable payments around the world, and is capable of handling more than 65,000 transaction messages a second. The company’s relentless focus on innovation is a catalyst for the rapid growth of digital commerce on any device for everyone, everywhere. As the world moves from analog to digital, Visa is applying our brand, products, people, network and scale to reshape the future of commerce. For more information, visit our website (www.visa.co.uk ), blog (https://www.visa.co.uk/visa-everywhere/blog.html ), and @VisaUK .
1
VisaNet data
2
Visa Back to Business Study 2021
3
VisaNet data
4
VisaNet data
5
VisaNet data
6
VisaNet data
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210407005084/en/
About Business Wire
Subscribe to releases from Business Wire
Subscribe to all the latest releases from Business Wire by registering your e-mail address below. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Latest releases from Business Wire
Crown Bioscience Expands US Presence with New Model Development Center in Kannapolis, North Carolina17.9.2025 14:30:00 CEST | Press release
Crown Bioscience, a global contract research organization (CRO) headquartered in the United States and part of JSR Life Sciences and Japan-based JSR Corporation, today announced the opening of a state-of-the-art model development center in Kannapolis, North Carolina. This strategic investment expands the company’s operations and enhances its ability to deliver advanced preclinical oncology models, including patient-derived xenografts (PDX), PDX warm models, PDX-derived organoids (PDXO), and patient-derived organoids (PDO), to meet the evolving needs of pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250917864004/en/ Crown Bioscience celebrate the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for the company’s new Kannapolis, North Carolina facility, marking an expansion of US oncology model development and preclinical CRO services. The new facility strengthens Crown Bioscience’s US-based capabil
SBC Medical Accelerates Multi-Brand Strategy with Hybrid Dermatology Model “Hada no Aozora Clinic” Establishment17.9.2025 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
SBC Medical Group Holdings Incorporated (Nasdaq: SBC) (“SBC Medical”), a global provider of comprehensive consulting and management services to the medical corporations and their clinics, today announced the launch of a new brand, “Hada no Aozora Clinic”, scheduled to open in Tokyo on October 1, 2025. This clinic will adopt a hybrid dermatology model that integrates insurance-covered general dermatology and private-pay aesthetic treatments, advancing SBC’s multi-brand strategy in the rapidly expanding aesthetic medicine market. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250917897380/en/ SBC Medical Accelerates Multi-Brand Strategy with Hybrid Dermatology Model “Hada no Aozora Clinic” Establishment As life expectancy continues to rise and demographic aging accelerates, more people are seeking treatments that help them maintain both well-being and a youthful appearance over a longer lifespan. Within this environment, aesth
Rubedo Life Sciences Announces U.S. FDA Clearance of IND for Selective GPX4 Modulating Lead Drug Candidate RLS-1496 for Actinic Keratosis, Expands Clinical Advisory Board17.9.2025 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
IND clearance marks second study accepted for RLS-1496, a first-in-class disease-modifying selective GPX4 modulator targeting pathological senescent cells that drive inflammaging and chronic degenerative diseases and conditions associated with the biological aging process through ferroptosis Results from first RLS-1496 study in patients with psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and skin aging are expected in Q4 2025; the actinic keratosis Phase 1b/2a study will begin in Q4 2025 Rubedo Clinical Advisory Board expands to include globally renowned dermatologist and immunologist Emma Guttman-Yassky, MD, PhD., Waldman Professor of Dermatology and Immunology and Health System Chair of the Kimberly and Eric J. Waldman Department of Dermatology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Rubedo Life Sciences, Inc. (Rubedo), an AI-driven, clinical-stage biotech focused on discovering and rapidly developing selective cellular rejuvenation medicines targeting aging cells, today announced that the U.S
New Study Finds That Using Masimo Technologies to Continuously Monitor General Floor Patients Reduces Costs17.9.2025 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
Universal Surveillance Monitoring with Masimo SET® Pulse Oximetry and Patient SafetyNet™ – Repeatedly Shown to Improve Patient Outcomes and Save Lives – Also Projected to Yield Significant Cost Savings Masimo (NASDAQ: MASI) today announced the findings of a study published in the Journal of Patient Safety in which Dr. George Blike and colleagues at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire demonstrated that use of Masimo technologies to continuously monitor general floor patients can yield significant cost savings.1 This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250917266545/en/ Continuous Patient Monitoring with Masimo SET® Pulse Oximetry and Patient SafetyNet™ In prior studies, the clinical outcome benefits of continuously monitoring patients using Masimo SET® and Patient SafetyNet™ have been shown to include lower mortality, improved resuscitative outcomes, and fewer rapid response team activations and transfers
Merck to Present New Data Highlighting Durable Effects of MAVENCLAD® in Relapsing Multiple Sclerosis (RMS) at ECTRIMS 202517.9.2025 14:00:00 CEST | Press release
Four-year data show nearly 9 in 10 RMS patients remained free from progression independent of relapse activity (PIRA)Results highlight the potential of MAVENCLAD to reduce neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation beyond established clinical efficacy outcomes in RMSEvidence suggests that MAVENCLAD effectiveness could be driven by peripheral and central effects without requiring continuous immunosuppression Not intended for UK-, US- or Canada-based media Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced the presentation of over 30 abstracts from its multiple sclerosis (MS) portfolio. New four-year data from two large Phase 4 studies highlight the long-term efficacy, favorable disability outcomes and durable impact of MAVENCLAD® (cladribine tablets) in people living with relapsing multiple sclerosis (RMS). These findings are to be presented at the 41st Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS), being held September 24-26 in
In our pressroom you can read all our latest releases, find our press contacts, images, documents and other relevant information about us.
Visit our pressroom