Eighty-two per cent of UAE consumers prefer to pay in a contactless manner due to safety and hygiene concerns amid the global coronavirus pandemic, according to Mastercard.
Seventy-one per cent of UAE respondents and 79 per cent of those polled worldwide said they now use contactless payments, according to a survey of 17,000 consumers in 19 countries.
“Contactless is already quite prevalent in the UAE, though conditions resulting from this pandemic are advancing consumer adoption further,” said Girish Nanda, Mastercard general manager for UAE and Oman. “UAE shoppers are increasingly recognising contactless as a safer, more hygienic, faster way to pay, especially since control over physical proximity is critical at that moment.”
The pace of contactless payment adoption has accelerated worldwide as people follow physical distancing measures to prevent the spread of the virus.
The percentage of contactless payments in the Emirates as a proportion of all face-to-face card payments doubled in the first quarter compared to the same period last year, according to Mastercard data.
Globally, contactless transactions grew 40 per cent in the first quarter year-on-year.
The global contactless payment market is expected to grow 75 per cent to $18 billion (Dh66.1bn) by 2025 from this year, according to a March report from researcher MarketsandMarkets.
Contactless payments enable consumers to wave their cards or mobile devices over a reader at the point-of-sale terminal. Transactions below the cardholder verification method (CVM) limit do not require a physical PIN entry.
In March, Mastercard said it would increase the CVM limits in more than 50 countries worldwide, including the UAE, where the limit was raised to Dh500.
The new Mastercard poll, conducted April 10-12, found that 73 per cent of the 1,000 consumers in the UAE surveyed have swapped their top-of-wallet card for one that offers contactless. Eighty-four per cent agreed that contactless is a cleaner way to pay, while 85 per cent think it is more convenient than cash.
Contactless payments are up to 10 times faster than other in-person payment methods, Mastercard said. About 78 per cent of UAE respondents said contactless payment methods have been easy to adopt.
Three in four UAE respondents said the pandemic has led them to use less cash. The trend appears to be “here to stay”, according to Mastercard, as 83 per cent of people said they will continue to use contactless after the pandemic.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Results
5.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Dirt) 1,600m, Winner: Panadol, Mickael Barzalona (jockey), Salem bin Ghadayer (trainer)
6.05pm: Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (Turf) 1,400m, Winner: Mayehaab, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
6.40pm: Handicap (TB) Dh85,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Monoski, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
7.15pm: Handicap (TB) Dh102,500 (T) 1,800m, Winner: Eastern World, Royston Ffrench, Charlie Appleby
7.50pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Madkal, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
8.25pm: Handicap (TB) Dh92,500 (T) 1,200m, Winner: Taneen, Dane O’Neill, Musabah Al Muhairi
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England-South Africa Test series
1st Test England win by 211 runs at Lord's, London
2nd Test South Africa win by 340 runs at Trent Bridge, Nottingham
3rd Test July 27-31 at The Oval, London
4th Test August 4-8 at Old Trafford, Manchester
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
The specs: Fenyr SuperSport
Price, base: Dh5.1 million
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 800hp @ 7,100pm
Torque: 980Nm @ 4,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 13.5L / 100km
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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