In 2023, the largest number of payment card transactions were made in the retail chain – almost 70%.
The total number of payment cards issued by Ukrainian banks exceeded 115 million, which is an average of 3 cards for every adult citizen of the country.
Anna Dovgalskaya, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Globus Bank, spoke about this. Referring to NBU data, she noted that in the total number of payment cards, more than 45.3% are cards for debit transactions (more than 52 million pcs.) and during 2023, compared to last year, their number increased by 12.5 %.
In addition, the number of contactless cards has changed significantly: from December 2022 to December 2023, their number increased by 17% – to 30.6 million units, so almost 59% of active cards are already contactless.
“By the end of 2023, in Ukrainian retail chains, almost 90% of the total number and amounts of non-cash transactions were carried out using contactless payment and NFC technology,” Dovgalskaya emphasized.
According to the expert, in 2023, the largest number of transactions on payment cards were made in settlements in the retail network – almost 70% (about 5 billion transactions). At the same time, transfers from card to card are the leaders in terms of transaction amounts – 37.1% (or UAH 1,478.6 billion).
The banker also focused on the main ways to avoid payment card fraud. According to her, banks are now actively implementing technologies to protect their clients and from illegal actions of attackers. Thus, the most effective ways to combat fraud are:
- separate SIM card for financial accounts (for financial transactions it is better to use a separate SIM card and not disclose its number to anyone);
- opening a virtual payment card (it is recommended to apply for a payment card in online banking in order to use it for online purchases);
- setting limits on payments in online stores, cash withdrawals and transfers of funds;
- strong passwords (reliable methods of protecting against fraud with payment cards include setting passwords for cards, logging into online banking and email).
“The simplest advice and at the same time the most significant: to feel completely safe, you should not disclose your PIN code or login passwords, especially not write it down on your smartphone or on a piece of paper folded in your wallet. Paying with a card is fast and convenient, but always You should be vigilant and take care of your own safety,” the banker advises.
Application of payment cards
In December 2023, the financial company NovaPay, part of the Novaya Poshta group of companies, introduced its own mobile application and issued payment cards.
Earlier, UNIAN wrote that the American company Sentry Enterprises showed the world’s first bank cards equipped with OLED displays. They are called Radiance, support Visa and Mastercard systems, and can be issued by various banks.
