Alpha Bank is the first Greek bank to offer customers MasterPass service through ‘my Alpha wallet’
MasterPass available through 5,000 online Greek retailers including AXA Insurance, Leroy Merlin, Megaron, Sephora and Wind
Athens, June 8th, 2016 – MasterPass™, the global digital payment service from MasterCard, debuts in Greece, offering consumers an easier, quicker, and more secure way to shop online. Alpha Bank is the first bank to offer MasterPass service to Greek customers, bringing innovation for digital and mobile purchases.
Over 5,000 online retailers in Greece have recognized the new business opportunities e-commerce has to offer and have already enrolled for MasterPass, thanks to payments acceptance implementation provided by Alpha Bank, Eurobank and Piraeus Bank, the acquirers -banks- that have offered the MasterPass service to their online clients.
MasterPass: making online shopping fast, simple and secure
With digital shopping becoming an increasingly multi-channel process, MasterPass is making online purchasing even faster, simpler and more secure. Having stored their name, card and shipping details when they sign up for the service, consumers no longer need to enter them at the checkout: they simply click or tap on the “Buy with MasterPass” button and enter their password to complete the payment. MasterPass optimizes the mobile check out experience making the small screens easier to navigate and offers the same benefits for online purchases made from PCs and tablets too. This kind of simplicity is fundamental to the growth of e-commerce, now a well- established phenomenon with more than 3 million Greeks making online purchases worth at least €4.5 billion per year and a recorded annual rise of 40% in online shopping using mobile devices.
“The technology revolution we are living, mainly led by the increasing trend focused on e-commence and also the proliferation of smartphones and tablets, means that any connected device is becoming a shopping device – comments Paolo Battiston, Division President Italy & Greece at MasterCard.
MasterPass is the global digital payment service of MasterCard for online and mobile payments, that starting from today would be available for merchants, consumers and financial institutions”.
The new service is available to consumers through their banks, guaranteeing the highest possible standards of security and privacy.
MasterPass is available for the first time in Greece to Alpha Bank customers through Alpha Bank’s digital wallet ‘my Alpha wallet’, offering the bank’s cardholders a variety of online services and the ability to make transactions and manage their cards, via a personal profile account. The reliability and security of transactions offered by Alpha Bank, along with the global MasterPass digital payments service, now allow online payments via debit, credit or prepaid cards issued by Alpha Bank, anywhere and anytime, with maximum security.
Benefit for retailers
E-commerce has continued to achieve double-figure growth in Greece in recent years. MasterPass enables retailers to offer a fast, simple shopping experience, thereby reducing the number of consumers who abandon their purchases before the checkout. Today e-commerce in Greece includes consumer electronics, assurance and travel, including Museums, Hotels and Travel booking agencies.
With more than 2 billion MasterCard holders worldwide, Greek retailers will also gain access to a huge number of potential customers.
Over 5,000 Greek retailers have enrolled for MasterPass to date, including brands such as, AXA Insurance, Leroy Merlin, Sephora and Wind, thanks to Alpha Bank, Eurobank and Piraeus Bank, the acquirers -banks.
Greek consumers will now be able to use the service when shopping from all types of device; retailers will also be in a position to offer the platform to international customers.
Grigoris Politis, Cards and Consumer Banking Products, Division Manager at Alpha Bank, stated relatively, “Alpha Bank is offering a pioneering digital wallet for its cardholders, welcoming them to the future of digital payments and purchases. Our aim is to continuously improve our Customers’ experience focusing on maximum security of transactions and on allowing complete control of the card by the cardholder. MasterPass technology, building on a global digital payments service, will offer Alpha Bank Customers safe, simple and secure online payments.”
MasterPass is now available in 30 markets around the globe -including Greece- with 16 of which in Europe, while the digital payment service is accepted at more than 250,000 merchants around the world. Greece joins a global network of easy, simple and secure digital payments environment, addressing to the needs of banks, consumers and merchants.
Visit www.masterpass.gr to explore this new service and embrace the future of electronic payments, now also available in Greece.
About MasterCard:
MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, join the discussion on the Cashless Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news. Follow us also in Greece on Facebook facebook.com/MasterCardGreece and on Instagram Instagram.com/MasterCardGR.