Visa will be holding sessions at its learning centre, Visa University, to educate seniors about digital payments with hands-on trainings as part of the programme curriculum.

Kunal Chatterjee, Visa’s Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei said: “Visa is supportive of the government’s mission to provide digital inclusion for every citizen. By bringing more people into the digital financial system, we improve lives, build confidence and strengthen economies. We believe it’s important to partner with People’s Association to provide relevant education to senior citizens, and we intend to work closely with financial institutions to ensure more senior citizens are equipped with access to digital payments and the knowledge to use them.”

According to the Visa Digital Inclusion Study 2018 , 84 per cent of Singapore seniors (aged 50-80 years) own a smart phone, 93 per cent of which say they use their smart phones regularly.

Singapore seniors have a high level of awareness of digital apps with close to 90 per cent familiar with social messaging apps and 81 per cent having heard about ride-hailing apps. Their knowledge about food delivery and mobile banking apps is at 74 and 73 per cent respectively. However, when it comes to using such apps, there is a significant drop.

Only 29 per cent of senior citizens have used a ride hailing app, and only 22 per cent of them have tried online shopping using apps. Ownership levels for credit cards (46 per cent) and debit cards (36 per cent) are relatively low amongst senior citizens - reducing their ability to benefit from digital payment solutions.

Mr Kia Siang Wei, Director-Designate, Lifeskills & Lifestyle Division, People’s Association, said: “PA is happy to partner with Visa to further the mission of digital inclusion for seniors. The partnership will help to address the concerns seniors may have about digital payments and e-Commerce. For instance, seniors can look forward to the fun and interactive e-Commerce Learning Journey at Visa, that will enable our seniors to embrace and better leverage on technology in enhancing their quality of life.”

While only a minority of seniors use mobile banking apps (31 per cent), current users seem to be making the most out of the functions available. Of those who have mobile banking apps, all (100 per cent) use the apps to check their balances, while 95 per cent view their transactions and 78 per cent transfer money between accounts.

When it comes to shopping online, only 25 per cent of seniors have done so in the past 12 months, with 83 per cent saying they do not know how to make purchases online. According to the Study, amongst those who say cash is their preferred payment mode (52 per cent), reassurance around security and speed would increase their usage of payment cards.