Financial
Consumer Finance

Financial Cards in Poland

Poland

Euromonitor International's Financial Cards in Poland report establishes the size and structure of the market for ATMs, credit cards, debit cards, store cards and smart cards. It looks at key players in the market (issuers and operators), number of cards in circulation, numbers transactions and value of transactions. It offers strategic analysis of sector forecasts and trends to watch.

Buy online to access strategic market analysis and an interactive statistical database of value and volume for retail and internet transactions, number of cards in circulation and company brand shares.

Tables: 106  |  Publication date: May 2008
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Product coverage

Financial cards in circulation; Transactions

Executive summary

Intensive volume growth of financial cards

2007 saw continued dynamic growth in the number of financial cards. The background of this strong rise is in part a low starting base, due to the limited uptake of banking services in Poland. Gradually, however, more Poles are using banking products, including financial cards. The development of the banking market is being driven in part by economic growth, which is leading to an improvement in the financial situation of a large proportion of the Polish population. This positive trend has been strengthened by intensive promotional activities by banks and financial card operators, which are promoting financial cards as an essential element of a modern lifestyle.

Poles still bound to cash transactions

Financial cards are still mainly used for withdrawing money from ATMs. This is rooted in the traditional habit of most Poles of carrying cash and using it for paying for goods and services. Additionally, a significant proportion of retail and service establishments do not operate with POS terminals, due to the high costs charged by acquirers and operators. This is particularly the case with smaller outlets in rural areas and smaller towns in Poland. However, there is a clear trend towards increased use of cashless transactions, as Polish consumers have discovered the many advantages of using financial cards.

Debit cards dominate in terms of volume share

In 2007, debit cards constituted the largest financial cards sector in terms of cards in circulation. They are usually issued by banks to all personal current account holders. In general, the number of such cards is increasing, although growth in 2007 was slower than in 2006. This is due to the increasing saturation of the market, reflected in a slower rate of opening new bank accounts. Debit cards are the main tool for the withdrawal of money from ATMs; however, gradually more Poles are using them for point of sale transactions. The increase in transaction volume and value for debit cards has been driven by the development of the card infrastructure, with a growing number of ATMs and POS terminals.

Further growth in debit card volume is expected to be driven by intensive development of the e-commerce market, along with consumers’ growing confidence in cashless transactions.

Visa and PKO Bank Polski maintain their leading positions

The Polish market is dominated by two largest card operators, Visa International Service Association and MasterCard Europe. Visa is the clear leader in terms of volume of financial cards and transaction numbers. The remaining operators, such as Diners Club, American Express and Polcard, account for only a small share of the market. Both Visa and MasterCard have a strong image among Polish consumers, which results mainly from intensive promotional campaigns in the mass media.

The largest Polish retail bank, PKO Bank Polski SA, leads in terms of number of financial cards in circulation. It is the largest issuer, due in part to the bank having the largest number of individual bank accounts. PKO Bank Polski SA took the leadership position in terms of credit cards in circulation from the previous leader, Citibank Bank Handlowy SA, in 2006.

Intense rivalry in the financial cards market

Growth in the financial cards market has led to intense competition among the banks, which have endeavoured to attract potential customers by means of telephone marketing, Internet campaigns and direct mail. Customers who are interested in consumer credit or lending are frequently offered credit cards instead. The banks have also simplified their regulations regarding processing and the timing of card issuing, in many cases to reduce the number of visits customers need to make to a branch.

Table of contents

FINANCIAL CARDS IN POLAND : MARKET INSIGHT

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Intensive volume growth of financial cards

Poles still bound to cash transactions

Debit cards dominate in terms of volume share

Visa and PKO Bank Polski maintain their leading positions

Intense rivalry in the financial cards market

KEY TRENDS AND DEVELOPMENTS

Increasing popularity of financial cards in Poland

Banks promote credit cards intensively

Growth in smart card issuing by banks slows

Growing popularity of pre-paid cards

Withdrawing store cards from the market

OPERATING ENVIRONMENT

Consumer credit and lending

Increasing sales via e-commerce

Positive growth prospects for m-commerce

ATM AND POS TERMINALS

CASH WITHDRAWAL VERSUS CARD PURCHASE

GOVERNMENTAL REGULATIONS AND LEGISLATION

MARKET INDICATORS

Table 1 Number of POS Terminals 2004-2007

Table 2 Number of ATMs 2004-2007

Table 3 Disposable Income 2002-2007

Table 4 Consumer Credit 2002-2007

Table 5 Value Lost to Fraud 2002-2007

MARKET DATA

Table 6 Financial Cards: Transactions 2002-2007

Table 7 Financial Cards: Value 2002-2007

Table 8 Financial Cards: Number of Cards in Circulation 2002-2007

Table 9 Financial Cards: Number of Accounts 2002-2007

Table 10 Domestic versus Foreign Spend 2007

Table 11 Card Expenditure by Sector 2007

Table 12 Card Expenditure by Location 2007

Table 13 Financial Cards: Number of Internet Transactions 2002-2007

Table 14 Financial Cards: Internet Transaction Value 2002-2007

Table 15 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2002-2006

Table 16 Financial Cards: Number of Cards by Operator 2002-2006

Table 17 Financial Cards: Point of Sale Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 18 Financial Cards Forecast: Transactions 2007-2012

Table 19 Financial Cards Forecast: Value 2007-2012

Table 20 Financial Cards Forecast: Number of Cards in Circulation 2007-2012

Table 21 Financial Cards: Forecast Number of Accounts 2007-2012

Table 22 Financial Cards Forecast: Number of Internet Transactions 2007-2012

Table 23 Financial Cards Forecast: Internet Transaction Value 2007-2012

DEFINITIONS

Cards by Type

Cardholder Behaviour

Card Expenditure by Sector

Value Lost to Card Fraud

Consumer Credit

Market Background

Sources

Summary 1 Research Sources

LOCAL COMPANY PROFILES - POLAND

BANK ZACHODNI SA - FINANCIAL CARDS - POLAND

STRATEGIC DIRECTION

KEY FACTS

Summary 2 Bank Zachodni WBK SA: Key Facts

Summary 3 Bank Zachodni WBK SA: Operational Indicators

COMPANY BACKGROUND

COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

ECARD SA - FINANCIAL CARDS - POLAND

STRATEGIC DIRECTION

KEY FACTS

Summary 4 eCard SA: Key Facts

Summary 5 eCard SA: Operational Indicators

COMPANY BACKGROUND

COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

ELKART SYSTEMY KART ELEKTRONICZNYCH SP ZOO - FINANCIAL CARDS - POLAND

STRATEGIC DIRECTION

KEY FACTS

Summary 6 Elkart Systemy Kart Elektronicznych Sp zoo: Key Facts

COMPANY BACKGROUND

COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

MBANK - FINANCIAL CARDS - POLAND

STRATEGIC DIRECTION

KEY FACTS

Summary 7 mBank: Key Facts

Summary 8 mBank: Operational Indicators

COMPANY BACKGROUND

COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

PKO BANK POLSKI SA - FINANCIAL CARDS - POLAND

STRATEGIC DIRECTION

KEY FACTS

Summary 9 PKO Bank Polski SA: Key Facts

Summary 10 PKO Bank Polski SA: Operational Indicators

COMPANY BACKGROUND

COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

SMART CARDS IN POLAND

HEADLINES

TRENDS

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

PROSPECTS

SECTOR DATA

Table 24 Smart Cards Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 25 Smart Cards Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 26 Smart Cards: Memory Vs Microprocessor 2004-2007

Table 27 Smart Cards: Contact Vs Contactless 2004-2007

Table 28 Smart Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 29 Smart Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

ATM TRANSACTIONS IN POLAND

HEADLINES

TRENDS

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

PROSPECTS

SECTOR DATA

Table 30 ATM Cards Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 31 ATM Cards Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 32 ATM Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 33 ATM Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

DEBIT TRANSACTIONS IN POLAND

HEADLINES

TRENDS

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

PROSPECTS

SECTOR DATA

Table 34 Debit Cards Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 35 Debit Cards Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 36 Debit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2002-2006

Table 37 Debit Cards: Number of cards by Operator 2002-2006

Table 38 Debit Cards Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 39 Debit Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2002-2006

Table 40 Debit Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 41 Debit Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

CREDIT CARD TRANSACTIONS IN POLAND

HEADLINES

TRENDS

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

PROSPECTS

SECTOR DATA

Table 42 Credit Cards Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 43 Credit Cards Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 44 Personal Credit Cards Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 45 Personal Credit Cards Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 46 Corporate Credit Cards: Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 47 Corporate Credit Cards: Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 48 Credit Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2002-2006

Table 49 Credit Cards: Number of cards by Operator 2002-2006

Table 50 Credit Cards Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 51 Credit Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2002-2006

Table 52 Personal Credit Cards Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 53 Personal Credit Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2002-2006

Table 54 Corporate Credit Cards Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 55 Corporate Credit Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2002-2006

Table 56 Credit Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 57 Credit Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

Table 58 Personal Credit Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 59 Personal Credit Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

Table 60 Corporate Credit Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 61 Corporate Credit Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

CHARGE CARD TRANSACTIONS IN POLAND

HEADLINES

TRENDS

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

PROSPECTS

SECTOR DATA

Table 62 Charge Cards Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 63 Charge Cards Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 64 Personal Charge Cards Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 65 Personal Charge Cards Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 66 Corporate Charge Cards: Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 67 Corporate Charge Cards: Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 68 Charge Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2002-2006

Table 69 Charge Cards: Number of cards by Operator 2002-2006

Table 70 Charge Cards Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 71 Charge Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2002-2006

Table 72 Personal Charge Cards Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 73 Personal Charge Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2002-2006

Table 74 Corporate Charge Cards Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 75 Corporate Charge Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2002-2006

Table 76 Charge Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 77 Charge Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

Table 78 Personal Charge Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 79 Personal Charge Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

Table 80 Corporate Charge Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 81 Corporate Charge Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

PRE-PAID CARD TRANSACTIONS IN POLAND

HEADLINES

TRENDS

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

PROSPECTS

SECTOR DATA

Table 82 Pre-paid Cards Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 83 Pre-paid Cards Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 84 Pre-paid Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2002-2006

Table 85 Pre-paid Cards: Number of cards by Operator 2002-2006

Table 86 Pre-paid Cards Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 87 Pre-paid Cards Transaction Value by Operator 2002-2006

Table 88 Pre-paid Cards by Type 2004-2007

Table 89 Pre-paid Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 90 Pre-paid Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

STORE CARD TRANSACTIONS IN POLAND

HEADLINES

TRENDS

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

PROSPECTS

SECTOR DATA

Table 91 Store Cards Sector Performance: 2002-2007

Table 92 Store Cards Sector Performance: % Growth 2002-2007

Table 93 Store Cards: Number of Cards by Issuer 2002-2006

Table 94 Store Cards Transactions by Acquirer 2002-2006

Table 95 Store Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: 2007-2012

Table 96 Store Cards: Forecast Sector Performance: % Growth 2007-2012

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