Six million MBNA cardholders equipped by 2012
- MBNA, one of the largest British card issuers and subsidiary of Bank of America, announced it intended to equip six million cardholders with contactless solutions by 2012.
- Every time a card is renewed, a contactless card is sent to the cardholder.
- According to MBNA, the number of merchants equipped with NFC contactless technology is quickly increasing and almost ten million contactless cards could currently be in circulation in Britain.
- MBNA's decision follows Barclays initiative and their communication on such figures as eight to ten million contactless card in circulation. Between January and August 2010, the Barclays group reportedly registered a 188% increase in terms of contactless transactions. Last November, Virgin Money also started to replace its two million payment cards.
See November 2010 Watch
- Contactless cards could grow more established in Europe. The development of contactless solutions is one of the three main axes for Visa Europe (with the development of mobile solutions and of e-commerce). Among Visa Europe’s most recent initiatives, we can mention their participation in a test project in Nice along with eleven partner banks (150,000 contactless cards) and its commitment to helping London Taxi drivers become equipped with acceptance solutions in view of the 2012 Olympic Games. For now, Visa Europe aims to issue 30 million contactless cards in Europe.