Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/19/2013 -- The global financial crisis and conservative consumer spending are expected to provide substantial scope for the growth of prepaid cards in Italy over the forecast period, as prepaid cards enable customers to set spending limits. Debit cards will continue to remain as the largest card category both in terms of volume and transaction value. Credit and charge cards are both expected to record negative growth. The debt crisis and subsequent austerity policies have reduced customer confidence, leading to a decline in overall consumer spending. The traditionally credit-averse nature of Italian consumers, coupled with their conservative spending attitude, is expected to result in a decline in credit card-based transactions. This is expected to reduce new credit card issuance over the forecast period and increase issuance of prepaid cards as customers prefer pre-planned or budgeted spending. As a result, banks have attempted to add features to prepaid cards such as online functionality, global usability and easy reloading.

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Key Highlights

- The prepaid card category is expected to have the strongest growth prospects, both in terms of card volume and transaction value. The category is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.37% in volume terms over the forecast period, and at a CAGR of 15.03% in terms of transaction value.
- The growth of card-based transactions is also expected to be fueled by the Italian treasury's cap on merchant service charges (MSCs). These are the fees paid to acquiring banks by retailers which accept card payments. The Italian treasury has levied a 1.5% cap on MSCs for retail transactions, and has banned MSCs for petrol purchases below EUR100 (US$128.6 billion).
- The Italian banking community has made significant efforts to align the country's payment system with SEPA standards. SEPA credit transfers and payment cards were made available in Italy in January 2008, and in April 2011 the Bank of Italy introduced an e-Money directive to reduce cash transactions.
- Non-banking operators such as Poste Italiane, which caters to a large customer base and offers diverse products, are posing intense competition to banks. This has prompted banks to diversify their product and marketing strategies, focusing on adding functionality to prepaid cards.

Scope

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of Italy's cards and payments industry

- It provides current values for Italy's cards and payments industry for 2012 and forecast figures for 2017
- It details the different macroeconomic, infrastructural, consumer and business drivers affecting Italy's cards and payments industry
- It outlines the current regulatory framework in the industry
- It details the marketing strategies used by various bankers and other institutions
- It profiles the major banks in Italy's cards and payments industry

Reasons to Get This Report

Companies Mentioned in this Report: Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, Deutsche Bank, Findomestic Bank,

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