What are your expectations from III. Cardist Card and Smart Technologies Fair that you support as Payment Systems Sponsor once again this year? Turkish banking industry is already one of the most innovative players especially in the card technologies. What benefits Cardist offers to the industry and what do you think Cardist might contribute to it in the future?
Cardist organization is an important platform in terms of gathering companies operating in payment systems industry, banks and companies providing solutions to the industry and offering the opportunity to share opinions for executive leaders. At Cardist exhibitors and visitors exchange opinions, follow up the latest developments in the sector and this leads to new collaborations. Therefore I believe Cardist will be very beneficial for the development of the industry in 2010, too.

As one of the leading companies of Europe in terms of card usage, could you tell us the developments in Turkey lately? What are the innovations?
Turkey sets examples for many countries both around the world and in Europe with its products and services developed in banking and payment systems. One of the most popular and topical issues in the payment systems is now “contactless payment”. The first MasterCard PayPass payment system in Europe was applied in Turkey with Bonus Trink. Afterwards Turkey has had a leading role in applying the MasterCard PayPass system into creative forms like wristwatch and key holder. MasterCard PayPass sticker was used in Turkey for the first time in the world and then it was entered into the US market. In 2009 the first pre-paid and pre-approved card, DIT Pratik, was introduced in Turkey. We are very pleased to carry on these projects in the card payment systems which are followed closely by the world and analyzed as case studies.

You launched MasterCard Paypass Wristwatch at I. Cardist Fair in 2007. How did the industry react to this and what were the feedbacks?
MasterCard introduced the first contactless card of Europe in Turkey with the collaboration of Garanti Bank in 2006. Afterwards the Wristwatch, as one of the different forms of MasterCard PayPass, was launched in Turkey for the first time at Cardist Fair in 2007. MasterCard PayPass has attracted great interest among both banks and cardholders since its launch. In 2008 Bank Asya presented one of the most advanced and multi-functional cards in Europe, AsyaCard DIT MasterCard PayPass technology to the consumers. In 2009 the number of banks offering MasterCard PayPass technology has risen to 7 with increasing collaborations. Among these banks there are Akbank with ‘Carrefour Axess’, HSBC with ‘Advantage Hızz’, Yapı Kredi Bank, Finansbank and Denizbank. Furthermore MasterCard PayPass specification was included in Shop&Miles credit cards, one of the most prestigious card programs in Turkey, in 2009. The latest development in MasterCard PayPass is the DIT Pratik Kart which is a pre-paid card with MasterCard PayPass technology presented to the cardholders at the end of 2009. Thus the contactless era for bank cards and pre-paid cards has begun.

What is the rate of MasterCard cardholders’ using contactless payment cards?
MasterCard PayPass accelerates services at the cash desk as there is no need for looking for coins and dealing with signature or password. Payments under TL35 are made by only touching MasterCard PayPass contactless payment card to the terminal. This offers great ease at places where low-cost shopping is frequently made and speed is important such as fast-food restaurants, supermarkets, newsagents, pharmacies, theatres, public transportation and stadiums. MasterCard PayPass is used at over 14.000 sales points in Turkey including Burger King, Bodyshop, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Starbucks, D&R and Remzi Bookstores, Kiler, Maxi, Özdilek, BP, A101, Uyum Markets, BTA Airport Cafe Restaurants and TAV Auto Parks. MasterCard PayPass can be utilized in public transportation in Ayvalık, Balıkesir, Bolu, Çanakkale, Diyarbakır, Eskişehir, Kahramanmaraş, Karabük and Samsun and at some taxies, highway and bridge passes in Istanbul. By January 2010 number of MasterCard PayPass contactless credit cards or payment appliances (wristwatch, key holder, sticker etc.) exceeded 1.000.000.

What are your strategies for the Turkish market? Turkey has a great potential for the industry with its high population. How would you evaluate this potential?
Turkey is one of the global leaders in payment systems industry. As the Turkey bureau, we are known for applying the first technologies and products in the sector. Our goal is to further develop our leadership in the industry with new projects and products in the coming period. As MasterCard we follow consumers’ demands and expectations closely. We aim to bring ease to the every aspect of the consumers’ lives. Young population, interest in the innovations and banks with advanced infrastructure in Turkey offer advantages to us to realize this aim.

There will be innovations in Cardist this year. For instance; the jury constituted by the executive managers of the finance industry will select exhibitors worthy of Cardist awards (Smartwards). Can you share your ideas about this?
I believe it is very constructive to reward distinguished operations and introduce them to the industry as examples.

All ATMs of Turkey united on 1 October 2009. How did this affect the cardholders? How does MasterCard evaluate the application?
Shared ATM Network, which is very common around the world, will provide very important advantages and ease to both cardholders and banks in Turkey.

Which innovations will MasterCard offer to the Turkish consumers in 2010? What is your strategy in the Turkish market? What are the trends emerging in the credit card and payment systems in the sector? What will the technology bring to consumers?
Our operations to extend MasterCard PayPass, the contactless payment system, in Turkey will continue in 2010. Thanks to the contactless payment systems in the smart card technologies, some cards with MasterCard PayPass specification make it possible to make payments with both contact and contactless applications, safe shopping on the net, load money to payment cards over the net, use these cards for bridge, highway passes. Besides thanks to the NFC technology, for which we collaborate with Turkcell, Garanti Bank and Akbank, the mobiles will soon be mobile wallets. Shopping in different cities and countries and travelling without buying tickets via mobiles will be possible. Especially our operations on using MasterCard PayPass in the public transportation and city cards will continue. Another project of ours to dwell in is extending pre-paid cards for those who have no bank accounts or access to the banks.

We extend our thanks to Özlem Erçelen İmece for supporting our organization and sparing time.

Cardist Project Team 2010