Mastercard is prepping a pilot that will see small businesses in Poland able to accept contactless payments with only a smartphone.
Starting in the Autumn, the trial will see several hundred small and micro businesses from all over Poland accept contactless card and mobile payments of up to PLN50 using just a phone and dedicated app - no dongle.
Mastercard is working with Elavon, Mobeewave and Polskie ePłatności on the project, for which it says it has developed "specific security principles".
Poland has a strong contactless base but a recent study commissioned by the Polish Foundation for Development of Cashless Payments shows that among entrepreneurs that gave up card or mobile payments, 36% did so because of the associated costs.
"Innovations such as this can help streamline processes, increase service availability, and reduce time and costs, benefiting small merchants and consumers," says Rafał Gołębiewski, country manager, Poland, Elavon.