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2009-06-04
Mobile payment booms


BY STAFF WRITER , ITWEB

[ Johannesburg, 1 June 2009 - The number of >mobile payment users worldwide is expected to reach 73.4 million this year, an increase of 70.4% from last year, according to global research firm Gartner.

Gartner predicts the number of mobile payment users will reach more than 190 million in 2012, representing more than 3% of total mobile users worldwide and reaching a level at which it will be considered 'mainstream'.

Sandy Shen, research director at Gartner, says: “Mobile payment has very different user cases and impact on developing markets to that of developed markets. In developing markets, together with mobile banking, it allows people to use financial services in a more efficient way, and sometimes the only way, at more affordable costs, and can greatly improve standards of living.

“The most profound impact of mobile banking and payment services is that they provide the non-banking population with access to modern financial services, giving them tools to improve their living standards,” she adds.

According to Shen, mobile payment appeals to various parties. For mobile operators, it can help attract and retain users and generate new revenue streams. For financial institutions, mobile payment is an opportunity to reach users who may previously have been unavailable, due to a lack of retail infrastructure, for example.

Gartner expects the market will see fragmentation in both technologies and business models, meaning services will need to be adapted for individual markets, even when deployed with the same partners. This also means long lead times will be needed for deployment. Gartner believes mobile payment is at least three years away from entering the mainstream market.

In terms of both the number of users and transaction volumes, Gartner expects the Asia-Pacific region and Japan to maintain a larger share of the market through 2012.

While mobile payment penetration in Western Europe is expected to rise from 0.9% in 2009 to 2.5% in 2012, and from 1.7% to 3% in North America, penetration in Asia-Pacific and Japan will rise from 2% in 2009 to 3.8% in 2012.

Mobile payment penetration in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Latin America is also expected to exceed 3% by 2012.

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