Auckland among top nine cities for digital payments leadership
AUCKLAND, January 22, 2018 – Visa, the global payments technology company, has revealed the results of a new global study examining the economic
impact of digital payments, with Auckland potentially standing to gain nearly NZD$2 billion annually in total direct net
benefits, by further reducing reliance on cash.
Cashless Cities (‘the Study’) was commissioned by Visa and conducted by Roubini Thoughtlab. It quantifies the potential net benefits of
a further move to digital payments for businesses, consumers and governments. Of the 100 cities studied, Auckland is
among only nine considered ‘Digital Leaders’ – a description given to the cities with populations that are nearly fully
banked, have developed banking and digital payments systems, and are already among the world leaders in digital payments
usage and infrastructure readiness. Sydney, Canberra, London, Toronto, and Stockholm are among the other cities
considered digital leaders.
Visa Country Manager for New Zealand & South Pacific Marty Kerr said: “It’s exciting to see Auckland is among the top cities globally that are leading the way
in digital payments. As a country we are fortunate in having many of the attributes necessary to be advanced in this
space, such as a strong and inclusive banking system, and New Zealanders have long been early adopters of technology”.
The Study found:
• Businesses in Auckland could achieve over NZD$1.5 billion in direct net benefits per year, from factors
including time savings in payments and increased sales revenues stemming from an extended customer base, both online and
in-store.
• Consumers in Auckland could achieve over NZD$150 million per year, in estimated direct net benefits from factors
including time savings from direct banking and retail and transit transactions. Globally, consumers on average stand to
gain a full working day (8 hours) in time back per year on average in the move to digital payments.
• Government stands to achieve over NZD$270 million in direct benefits per year, from various factors that include
increased tax revenues, increased economic growth, and cost savings from efficiencies. Governments also stand to benefit
indirectly through greater employment and wage growth.
The Study comes at a time when there is real momentum among consumers to use innovative technologies such as digital
payments, with almost 80 per cent of New Zealanders in a recent survey saying they would like to use mobile for everyday
purchases1. There is however room for improvement. For example, many businesses are still to offer their customers the
convenience of ‘tap to pay’ through contactless payments technology.
“All businesses, especially those in hospitality and retail, that adopt contactless payments demonstrate innovation and
a willingness to take advantage of new technology to provide better customer service. It’s worth noting that New Zealand
consumers are some of the highest users in the world of contactless – more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of New
Zealanders own a contactless capable card2,” said Kerr.
He added: “The report’s release, during the busy summer tourist season, is also a reminder that businesses which are
forward-thinking in their adoption of new payment technology instantly gain access to the global marketplace. A recent
study showed that international Visa cardholders contributed NZ$2.8 billion to the New Zealand economy in 20163”.
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1 Visa/YouGov Survey, May 2017, online poll using ActiveSampling of 500 New Zealand people to provide comprehensive
market intelligence on a range of industry sectors, surveyed between 16 – 19 May 2017.
2 RFi Research, August 2017, Visa RFi New Zealand Merchant Acquiring and Payments Acceptance Program survey conducted in
August 2017, completed by 498 merchants.
3 Visa Tourism Report 2017, The Visa Tourism Spend Report 2017 provides insights based on all transactions performed by
international Visa cardholders in New Zealand between 2015 and 2016. The data is based on face-to-face spend while
travellers are in New Zealand; that is, transactions that have taken place where the purchaser is present with their
Visa card or mobile device.