وفق دراسة أجرتها ماستركارد توجه كبير للمستهلكين في الشرق الأوسط وإفريقيا نحو حلول الدفع اللاتلامسية كخيارات بديلة للدفع

• More than 70% of consumers in the Middle East and Africa use a contactless payment method
• The limit for contactless payments in Bahrain has been raised from 20 to 50 Bahraini dinars, providing consumers with a safe and clean way to pay when purchasing groceries and other goods during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Contactless payment transactions between February and March witnessed a growth equivalent to four times the growth witnessed by traditional payments for the purchase of daily needs from grocery stores and pharmacies

Manama, Bahrain, April 30, 2020 - During the month of March, many Middle Eastern countries imposed restrictions that contributed to changing the lifestyle of many societies in those countries. As a result of these restrictions, many consumers have resorted to adopting contactless payment solutions when purchasing their daily needs. In a new global study conducted by MasterCard on changing consumer behavior in 19 countries around the world, the increasing demand for consumers to use contactless payment technologies was highlighted, as 70% of the participants in this study in the Middle East and Africa confirmed that they use one of the contactless payment methods. For reasons of safety and hygiene during the Corona virus outbreak.

The methods of shopping and purchasing daily needs from grocery stores, pharmacies and other necessary supplies have witnessed a major transformation in recent times, as shoppers have to apply social distancing practices and other preventive measures when going out to purchase the daily needs of their families. The study indicated that this shift was more evident when paying for purchases; Consumers prefer to pay using contactless payment technologies due to concerns about hygiene and security standards at the point of sale.

The study showed the following results in the Middle East and Africa:

Increasing shift towards contactless payments: Security schemes have led consumers to prefer contactless payment options due to the ease and convenience of these solutions. Six out of ten (61%) study participants in the region replaced their traditional cards with contactless cards.

An increase in the level of confidence in contactless payment solutions : The current global events have increased consumer concerns about the use of cash, and the preference for contactless payment solutions for reasons of safety and hygiene, in addition to the ease and peace of mind of this technology, and 70% of the study participants reported In the region, they are now using a contactless payment method, while 84% agreed that this form is one of the cleanest and safest payment methods during the outbreak of the Corona virus. Also, 79% of them stated that adopting contactless payment solutions is easy and smooth. Contactless payments are also 10 times faster than other direct payment methods, allowing customers to enter and leave stores in less time.

Contactless Payment, Born to Stay: We live in a sustainable era in which consumers conduct purchases in a well-thought-out manner; This promotes the use of contactless payments in markets that have reached more advanced stages of adopting this technology, and it stimulates its use in new markets. It appears that this trend will continue. About 64% of those surveyed confirmed that fears of infection with the Corona virus had prompted them to limit the use of cash payment, while 81% expressed their desire to continue using contactless payments in the long term, even after the threat of the Corona virus had subsided, in an indication of a long-term transformation. in consumer behaviour.

Jihad Khalil, general manager of MasterCard in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, said:“Social distancing today is one of the most important practices that we can do to prevent the spread of the pandemic, and here we would like to commend the efforts made by the Government of Bahrain and the Ministry of Health to maintain the safety of citizens and residents. In addition to being careful to stay at home, we should also avoid touching devices and tools. Shared use such as points of sale when shopping.Bahrain has taken strong measures to boost its local economy which is fully supported by MasterCard, as evidenced by the Central Bank of Bahrain’s decision to raise card payment limits, defer installments, and the government’s nationwide campaign to promote electronic and contactless payments. Bahrain is already adopting contactless payment technology as part of its efforts to confront the pandemic. It goes without saying that contactless payment solutions provide consumers with a safer, cleaner and faster way to pay, especially in light of the current conditions that require limiting as much as possible any physical contact.

Important turnaround time for contactless payment solutions:

For years, MasterCard has been leading the global effort to adopt contactless payment solutions, emphasizing the importance of these solutions as a secure, easy and fast payment method. As consumers search for ways to quickly enter and exit stores without touching payment devices at the point of sale, data released by MasterCard indicates significant growth in the use of contactless payment solutions globally, at a rate of 40% during the first quarter of 2017. In 2020. The data also indicated that 80% of contactless transactions were for purchases of less than 25 dollars, a category that has long been dominated by the traditional cash payment method. The number of digital and contactless transactions in Bahrain more than tripled between February and March 2020.

Over the past few weeks, MasterCard has announced its commitment to increasing the limits for contactless payments in more than 50 countries around the world; Including Bahrain, where the Central Bank of Bahrain approved raising the spending limit to 50 Bahraini dinars, and this step comes as part of MasterCard’s global efforts to provide consumers, merchants and small enterprises with safe payment solutions during the crisis of the Corona Virus (Covid-19) outbreak.

In order to enhance efforts to increase the use of contactless payments in the Kingdom, MasterCard is developing initiatives that will support the adoption of contactless payment solutions in Bahrain. Such initiatives are designed with the aim of stimulating digital spending throughout the Kingdom, especially the project to benefit from the local coding mechanism, the Bahraini national electronic wallet program for smartphones, in addition to the international wallets scheduled to be launched throughout the year.

Despite the varying rates of adoption of contactless payment solutions in countries of the world, and their use for shopping and purchasing daily needs, MasterCard’s data on purchase trends from grocery stores and pharmacies indicate a significant increase in the use of contactless payments in various regions of the world during the months of February and March. MasterCard also witnessed a fourfold growth in the number of contactless payment transactions compared to traditional payment transactions in the Middle East and Africa region in grocery stores and pharmacies, in an indication of changing consumer behavior and preferences regarding the method of payment for purchases.

Last March, Mastercard announced its commitment to increasing contactless payment limits in more than 50 countries around the world across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, New Zealand, Latin America and the Caribbean, Canada and more. The move comes as part of MasterCard's global efforts to provide consumers, merchants and small businesses with secure payment solutions during the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.