An increase in the number of people using banks, availability of low cost bank accounts, lower interchange fees and improved infrastructure have positioned Poland as one of the most advanced and innovative payment markets in Europe. Effective from the second quarter (Q2) 2019, contactless usage is anticipated to grow further in the country due to a new regulation passed by the Polish central bank, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData’s latest report, ‘Payments Landscape in Poland: Opportunities and Risks to 2022’, states that even though cash is very much the dominant means of payment, Polish consumers are adopting contactless payments in ever-increasing numbers, with almost every Polish adult holding a contactless card. The number of contactless cards in Poland grew from 25.7 million in 2014 to 34 million in 2018.

In addition, similar to several countries across Europe, Poland has high contactless adoption, with 86% of consumers using contactless cards for payments in 2018, according to GlobalData’s 2018 Consumer Payments Insight Survey.

Nikhil Reddy, Payments Analyst at GlobalData, explains: “The growth in the contactless card market has been fuelled by government policies to promote electronic payments, supported by wider merchant acceptance and improved payment infrastructure.”

The report further reveals that Polish consumers and financial institutions have embraced contactless technology and it is becoming a mainstream payment option at supermarkets, grocery stores and restaurants. More than nine out of 10 of the country’s points of sale terminals are equipped with contactless functionality.

Meanwhile, the use of contactless has extended even to transport, with major cities such as Warsaw, Wrocław, Jaworzno and Rybnik integrating this technology into their public transportation systems.

Reddy concludes: “The announcement by the country’s central bank that from Q2 2019 it is doubling the maximum limit for contactless transactions without a PIN from PLN50 to PLN100 will further drive contactless payments in the country.”