MasterCard Worldwide has announced record growth of its contactless payments technology, MasterCard PayPass, across the Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa (APMEA) region in 2012, citing a 28 percent (YoY) increase in merchant. MasterCard's PayPass contactless payment network now boasts nearly 700,000 merchant locations in 51 countries as of Q4 2012. Growth data reflects a strong demand from consumers for fast and convenient alternative to cash for everyday purchases in region, including those in emerging markets like Vietnam, which this month launched contactless payments for the first time. South Africa, Australia, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, New Zealand, and United Arab Emirates were credited as key contributors to growth in the APMEA region, and hotbeds for innovation in contactless payments. In United Arab Emirates, MasterCard collaborated with Network International, the region's leading acquirer, to expand its contactless payments infrastructure, installing MasterCard PayPass terminals across more than 1000 stores in 2012, and paving the way for contactless mobile payments in the region. In the Middle East, Fransabank's MasterCard PayPass Card won the "Best Contactless Innovation Award in the Middle East”. Bank Audi also launched the Bank Audi ABC MasterCard Credit Card, Lebanon's first co-branded card offered by a bank in collaboration with a prominent shopping mall, which offers PayPass technology to allow cardholders to Tap & Go as they make purchases in the mall. In Australia, more than one-in-ten card transactions under $100 is now being made with PayPass. In Singapore, transactions made using PayPass at last year's Great Singapore Sale (GSS) grew 100-fold, with total spend up by more than 54 percent. In New Zealand, all new consumer credit and debit cards issued are enabled with PayPass. Consumer-led demand for contactless technology drove uptake among the country's most popular retailers, including Bunnings, Kmart, The Warehouse, Resene, Repco, and BP. Strong growth in merchant locations was made possible through strategic collaborations, including those with Coles and Woolworths supermarkets in Australia, NTT Docomo in Japan, and E.Sun Bank in Taiwan. Merchants are also seeing real impact to their bottom line. – SG
