Poland set to roll out commercial NFC payments ‘within four months’

By Christopher Brown • nfcworld.com • 23 May 2011, 09:28

Poland is set to roll out NFC-based payment services as early as the third quarter of 2011, according to Polish business publication Puls Biseznu.

Six Polish banks — PKO Bank Polski, Bank Zachodni WBK, Citi Handlowy, MultiBank with mBank and ING Bank Slaski — have now tested NFC payments and, says ING's Marcin Giżycki, commercial services should be ready "within three to four months."

In March, NFC World reported that mobile network operator Orange had launched an NFC payment service trial in Poland. In partnership with Polish bank Bank Zachodni WBK and MasterCard, Orange provided some 2,000 of its customers with the ability to make pin-free payments of up to PLN50 (US$17.50 approx) using MasterCard's PayPass system.

And last year, Polish mobile network operator PTC began the country's first NFC payments trial in collaboration with Inteligo, an online bank owned by PKO Bank Polski, and MasterCard.

The banks interviewed for the article explain that they have obstacles to overcome but that these mainly relate to the small number of NFC handsets currently on the market. "Technologically we are basically ready," says Joanna Materka, head of cards at MultiBank.

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