MasterCard Europe today announced its second quarter 2010 operating results for the Europe region.
European Results
For the second quarter 2010, the European region reported MasterCard gross dollar volume for Europe increased 13.6%; purchase volume grew 13.2%; purchase transactions increased 13.7%, and cash transactions increased 12.0%, each compared to the second quarter 2009.
From 1 April through 30 June, European cardholders made more than 1.9 billion purchase transactions with their MasterCard-branded cards, including those made online.
As of 30 June 2010, 203 million MasterCard cards (excluding Maestro and Cirrus) had been issued by MasterCard customer financial institutions across Europe, an increase of 4.0 % compared to the same quarter in 2009. Also as of 30 June 2010, European cardholders could use their MasterCard cards at 8.9 million acceptance locations in the region and at 30.6 million acceptance locations worldwide.
In addition, the Maestro brand mark appeared on 302 million cards. Consumers can now make point-of- sale purchases with their Maestro cards at 7.3 million merchant locations throughout Europe and at 12.6 million merchant locations worldwide.
Commenting, MasterCard Europe President, Mr Javier Perez said - "The year continues well for MasterCard in Europe with solid momentum in the traditional areas of credit, debit and prepaid - again the bedrock of our success for the region.
Our approach to innovation is gaining considerable traction with our customers, helping to ensure that as cards are delivered into the hands of cardholders across the region, they do so with programmes that are increasingly diverse, relevant and leading edge. Our approach has also involved being the first to deliver new programmes, such as with our new display card, which offers benefits and features not seen anywhere else in the world.
As Europeans enjoy their summer holidays, they are able to use their MasterCard and Maestro branded cards at more acceptance locations and in more diverse ways than eever before - from taxis to tollways, from surfing on-line for last-minute deals to enjoying their long-planned trip, getting more value than ever in terms of speed, convenience and security."
Regional Highlights
MasterCard Europe reported a number of critical pan-European business achievements for the quarter including:
Consolidating our lead position in credit, debit and prepaid
On the very first day of the second quarter, MasterCard Europe made significant changes to its Maestro rules and product requirements, in a specific drive to enable Maestro e-commerce and support the consumer need for secure and efficient debit card acceptance on the Internet.
Business momentum of debit - both with Maestro as a local 'domestic' offering and with Debit MasterCard - grew significantly in markets such as Poland, Turkey and Belgium.
In credit, new card programmes such as the 'She Card' in Turkey demonstrated the increasing demand for tailored, benefit-rich card programmes. The programme, intended for women, provides exclusive benefits based on a multi-merchant platform and also a card design that makes the card look and feel as if it is encrusted with diamonds.
In the commercial sector, distinct offerings such as 'professional' cards were launched in markets such as France and the Netherlands.
Innovation - delivering convenience and control to consumers across Europe
In June, the Turkish Economic Bank (TEB) became the first issuer in the world to introduce the 'display' card with the first new look Maestro card rolled out to Turkish consumers. The card looks and feels like a normal credit or debit card but comes with an additional small display and touch-sensitive button pad, allowing cardholders to see information - numbers and / or text - on the small visual display, such as a dynamic passcode, an account balance and a spending limit. The UK's Newcastle Building Society is the first issuer to commit to the initial pilot of the balance display functionality later this year.
Turkey also hosted one of the first mobile NFC payment programmes, in which consumers can convert their mobile phone for NFC payments via a simple SIM card attached to an antenna (Beavertail NFC). Without having to change their phones, users can already benefit from almost 30,000 'tap&go' terminals in Turkey (and 245,000 terminals around the world) for transportation, football and cinema tickets and fast food.