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Visa reports 43 per cent rise in sales expenditure

DUBAI - Visa International reported an increase of 43 per cent in sales expenditure ending 31 March 2004 against the corresponding period. The total retail sales expenditure of Middle East Visa cardholders is in excess of $8.4 billion. The latest statistics indicate the highest sales figure in annual growth in four years compared to the figures for 2001, 2002 and 2003 show that when retail spending was up by 21 per cent, 23 per cent and 38 per cent respectively.

Kamran Siddiqi, General Manager Middle East for Visa International said: "The upward trend in card usage stands testimony to the initiatives of our member banks and is a direct result of their innovations in product development. It also reflects the development of stronger partnerships with merchants and a greater understanding among cardholders. As more and more customers understand the value of Visa cards for every day payments greater card usage is helping to drive efficiency not only at the level of personal finance but also at the level of economic growth."

Shehryar Ali Shah, Acting Cards Head, of Saudi Hollandi Bank said, "Technology forms the backbone of the card industry. Mideast markets are rapidly developing and quick to embrace the latest in technologies, making it important for us to deliver sophisticated products to suit modern payment needs. New technologies such as chip cards boost the security of electronic payments, leading to greater consumer confidence and increased sales."

Acceptance of chip cards - plastic cards embedded with a microprocessor that can store up to 80 times more information than a traditional magnetic stripe card - continues to grow.