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Payments Cards and Mobile BACK ISSUES
Insight is everything!
Use Payments Cards and Mobile Back Issues as a resource in your work - inform yourself on recent developments in the industry, tap into our industry-wide coverage of the card business and card technology, or just satisfy your curiosity.
Back issues are priced at £25 individually, £40 for two, multiple copies of three or more at £15 each.
Available to download now in PDF format, browse the latest 6 issues below or use our 'by year' Back Issue indicies.
July/August 2010 ISSUE
COVER STORY - Can prepaid bridge the credit-debit card gap?
The economic climate has resulted in people preferring to use debit, rather than credit cards, thereby missing out on the benefits of credit cards, such as protection for merchant and consumer, loyalty schemes and so on. Salans’ Robert Courtneidge argues prepaid can bridge the gap, offering consumers the control they crave and benefits – not to mention the benefits for business and state.
CARD NOTES
Cards challenge for Greek banks
Greece’s public sector is not the only area facing high levels of debt – credit cards and other consumer loans have risen from €69 billion in 2005 to €120 in 2009.
Processors merge to create Spanish market leader
Spain’s two biggest domestic processors are merging to form the biggest, RedSys. It’s a good move. What took them so long? n UK firms struggle with online retail sales in Europe.
Council set up to reboot SEPA
The European Payments Council has finally taken much of the action prescribed in these pages by contributor Peter Jones back in November 2008. It’s a positive, if flawed, first step to getting the whole thing on track. n Prepaid is Europe’s fastest growing card product.
A day in the life of Joe Garcia
The European Payments Council has released a white paper on aligning m-payments with SEPA, illustrated by how Mr Garcia spends on a typical day. n Is the end in sight for swipe fees in the US as the fall-out from the Best Buy row continues?
European spend rises
Consumer spending rose 9% in Q1 2010 compared with the same quarter last year.
May/June 2010 ISSUE
COVER STORY - Web giants take on the payments world
The financial establishment seems uninterested in the huge forces that are eying the payments market. If you’re not scared, you don’t understand what’s going on.
CARD NOTES
Ukraine is in the trough
The country’s economy contracted by 12% in 2009 and remains flat, while banks are making provisions against bad loans running at an average of 25%.
Debit’s star rises fast over Turkey
Debit may still be tiny compared with the extraordinary credit card market, but it’s growing at 77% year-on-year.
South East Asia presents a huge opportunity
The trouble is there are so very many barriers, from challenging geography, to regulatory hurdles and practices such as each bank insisting on its own POS at
every merchant’s premises. ■ The decline and fall of global credit.
Smart card market is growing at 16%
The Americas were biggest growth markets, according to the Smart Payment Association’s annual review.
March/April 2010 ISSUE
COVER STORY - Will PIs advance cross-border payments?
It’s very early days for the PSD and many wrinkles need to be ironed out before it can reach its full potential. There is already talk of PSD II.
CARD MARKETS
UK card fraud falls for first time since 2006
This includes a fall in card not present fraud, but industry figures thinks this is a temporary state of affairs.
New rules for UK credit cards
The public backlash against credit rate hikes has spurred the Government into taking action. ■ Survey finds cash costs €130 per person per year in Europe.
Crisis fallout hits US credit cards
Borrowing has not just stopped growing, but fallen by more than $100 billion since 2008.
Biometrics make their mark in Asia
Fingerprint biometrics giving way to contactless palm vein checks.
Sizing the US payments outsourcing market
Shifts in the market could lead to some providers making disastrous strategic decisions.
Kazakhstan encourages loyalty
The country’s biggest bank launches loyalty scheme across product and services portfolio – a first in Kazakhstan.
The UK’s young adults are maximising access to credit
Some 27% of 18 to 24 year olds who have more than one current account have at least three – all with overdraft facilities. ■ Russia to roll out national payments system.
January/February 2010 ISSUE
COVER STORY - Turkish cards delight
Throughout the European region, debit cards are the payment instrument of choice and just three countries have a substantial credit card industry – Ireland, Turkey and the UK. Right now Turkey has the most dynamic credit card sector east of Manhattan.
CARD MARKETS
Sberbank – your ‘friendly neighbourhood bank’
The Russian bank has put an ambitious five year plan in place to revamp its branch network and infrastructure.
Australia – fraud rise low by global standards
■ UK – non-banks buck the trend.
UK credit cards – write-offs up, borrowing down
And still no final judgement on interchange.
Australia – the hidden truths of loyalty schemes
Loyalty programmes are growing fast, but retailers need to beware of a backlash from consumers when they discover how their data is used.
Europe – survey throws new light on prepaid
First Data’s survey into attitudes to prepaid in Germany, Austria, Italy and the UK show a promising level of interest in products, but a change is needed in how they are marketed, with a less prescriptive, section-specific approach.
November/December 2009 ISSUE
COVER STORY - The changing face of payments
Payments are a contradictory phenomenon. What have we learned in the 15 years PCM (formerly known as European Card Review) has been published and how can the industry progress now? Primarily by addressing the skewing effect of ‘free’ cash and by introducing faster payments everywhere.
CARD MARKETS
Canada rocks with contactless
■ New Zealand regulator accused over interchange settlement.
Postbank enters DIY, kicks northern trend
■ GAO investigation stokes interchange row.
UK fraud: battle continues
For the first time in years, the UK banking industry has reported a drop in payment card fraud, but new trends are emerging.
US transactions to exceed 100 billion in 2009
■ The US under pressure on EMV adoption, as Smart Card Alliance proposes encryption at the POS to improve magstripe card security.
Visa extends money transfer business
■ There are fears that a credit card scam in Spain could have compromised the data of thousands of cardholders.
SEPA: Losing the war on cash
■ Voice Commerce wins Payment Institution accreditation.
Global remittances dip in 2009
■ Crédit Agricole and Equens sign exclusive agreement to explore the possibility of forming a single entity.
September/October 2009 ISSUE
COVER STORY - What’s happening with m-banking?
M-banking for developed markets has been hyped since 2006, but progress has been slow and a number of key issues have yet to be addressed. In particular, what the banks want to achieve by offering it, a viable business model, fragmentation and a lack of compelling, mass market applications are proving tough nuts to crack.
CARD MARKETS
Big opportunity for acquirers among UK SME merchants
One in five small to medium UK merchants is looking to change its acquirer in the next six months. ■ Timing is everything – Elavon and Santander seem to be spot-on.
New frontiers for payment cards
Russia and the CIS looks poised to enter a phase of much more rapid growth in cards and retail financial services.
Young, affluent Chinese give out mixed messages on credit cards
A study was carried out at two Chinese universities this year with postgraduate (affluent) students on attitudes towards using credit cards.
Italians post leadership in prepaid
In one segment of the card market, Italy has emerged as the clear leader.
Danes and Norwegians get together
Plans to rationalise Nordic processing are back on track after a two-year diversion.
Fast forward - payments in 2018
In a difficult year economically, UK debit cards barely missed a beat.
SEPA still sais pas in Paris
“Seven years after the start of the SEPA project, we are not yet there – and with cards even less than other transactions.”
Payment Card Yearbooks have published their latest editions - European Payment Cards Yearbook 2009-10, containing 33 individual country profiles and Russia and CIS Payment Cards Yearbook 2010-11, containing 10 individual country profiles.
