发布地区：欧洲
发布语种：英文
原文标题：UNIONPAY OPTIMISES ONLINE SERVICES TO SUPPORT CONSUMERS AND MERCHANTS

UNIONPAY OPTIMISES ONLINE SERVICES TO SUPPORT CONSUMERS AND MERCHANTS

• To support consumers in Europe, UnionPay International has cooperated with 10 key partners to develop and expand online acceptance in response to COVID-19

• Since outset of global pandemic, global online transaction volumes of UnionPay have increased by 20%
 
• Transactions show many using lockdown period to take professional qualifications

UnionPay International, the card payment organisation with the world’s largest cardholder base, has responded to the global fight against COVID-19 by working with its partners to increase consumer access to key online services.

In the past two months, to provide more online payment services for cardholders in severely affected regions, UnionPay International has cooperated with more than 10 internationally recognised organisations to develop and expand its online acceptance in Europe. These partners include Santander in Spain, and Nexi, the largest acquirer in Italy.

UnionPay International has focused specifically on online payment service platforms and merchants providing day to day items, pharmaceuticals and food takeaways and deliveries. In the latter category, UnionPay has extended its European relationship with Uber Eats and added payment acceptance with Glovo, a Spanish delivery service which is rapidly expanding across Europe.

Since the onset of the coronavirus crisis, UnionPay International has seen global online transactions increase by around 20%, with transaction volume in Europe increasing by more than 10%. First quarter online transactions have risen substantially in France, Spain and the United Kingdom which have seen increases of more than 60%. In Switzerland online transactions have increased more than four times in this period compared to the same time last year.

New data released by UnionPay International also shows that since many European countries and regions introduced lockdown measures to fight COVID-19, increasing numbers of its cardholders are signing up for online professional qualifications or accreditation. Merchants with positive growth during this period include the CFA Institute, which runs the internationally recognised Chartered Financial Analyst programme and the ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants), the global body for professional accountants.

Retail and food merchants including iHerb, a global online nutritional and healthcare retailer, The Hut Group, which sells a range of goods including health and well-being products, Farfetch, an online fashion retail platform, and Food Panda, a mobile food delivery company operating in Europe, have all witnessed significant growth in online activity during this period.

Wei Zhihong, UnionPay International’s Market Director and Head of Europe said: “There is no doubt that the spread of COVID-19 has created unimagined challenges for societies around the world and businesses are having to adapt to new ways of working to serve their customers. At UnionPay International, we are committed to supporting merchants and consumers during this difficult period, working in our local markets to find local solutions to the increasing demand for online payments. We continue to work with all partners and local offices throughout Europe to respond to the global pandemic.”

With over eight billion cards accumulatively issued worldwide, UnionPay is the card payment organisation with the world’s largest cardholder base. Its global network extends to 178 countries and regions, covering over 56 million merchants and more than 2.9 million ATMs worldwide.