„Everyone is a retailer and every digital device is a payment point”

Ferenc Szász
business development director
Mastercard

– Twice as many POS terminals, shorter device delivery time and the digitalisation of processes. These are some of the goals Mastercard announced in the autumn of 2019. Did you manage to realise them?

– We are proud of the fact that we achieved all three of the above. According to the latest report of the Central Bank of Hungary (MNB), in the 2nd quarter of 2022 Hungarian shoppers could pay at more than 230,000 POS terminals of Hungary-based retailers and service providers.

– What about the device delivery times?

– In the past sometimes retailers had to wait for weeks before they received their payment terminal, and certain parts of the application process were paper-based. Today the application process is fully digital at most payment service companies, and it only takes a few days to install the terminal.

– What kind of role did the new electronic payment decree play in the expansion rate?

– Making it mandatory for retailers with an online cash register to offer electronic payment to customers drove many shop owners and service providers towards card acceptance.

– How did the situation develop as regards the kinds of devices available to partners?

– Formerly SMEs complained that the old brick-size POS terminals weren’t suitable for taking them wherever they were working. As part of the Doppio programme, partners receive a small-sized mobile terminal that fits in their pocket. One of the biggest innovations is softPOS: this solution makes it possible to use Android smartphones for accepting card payment without having an actual payment terminal.

– What are you future plans with the Doppio programme?

– In the present economic climate the expansion of payment terminals is likely to slow down, but we believe that every person is a retailer, every digital device can be a payment terminal. From this perspective there are still many tasks ahead of us. (x)