Issuing & Acquiring
A new business segment: Much more than our new generation credit cards
- Strategic milestone: UniCredit Bank Austria strengthens its payment business and enters the credit card business with Issuing & Acquiring
- Everything from a single source: card issuing, payment processing and banking services will be optimally coordinated at UniCredit Bank Austria in the future
- The new-generation credit cards and all debit cards issued by UniCredit Bank Austria support Google Pay and Apple Pay, customers are serviced as part of a one-stop shop
The payments business is a growing and highly competitive market - payments are one of the most dynamic areas in banking. With its entry into the issuing of credit cards and the acquiring of payment terminals and e-commerce solutions, UniCredit is bringing important business areas in-house that it has previously handled through subsidiaries or service providers. Issuing refers to the provision of credit cards for customers, while acquiring provides companies with the corresponding payment terminals and e-commerce solutions.
“The further strengthening of our payment business is a strategic milestone for us. With our new generation credit cards and state-of-the-art card acceptance solutions, we are investing significantly in a new business area. We are a strong new player on the market with state-of-the-art technology and a convincing offer, because banking and payment transactions belong together”, emphasizes Ivan Vlaho, CEO of UniCredit Bank Austria, and continues: “In the future, we will provide our customers with card issuing as well as payment processing and all associated banking services from a single source. We are thus bringing the entire payment process back to where it belongs: in the bank.”
Credit cards for private and corporate customers
Switching to a new generation credit card from Bank Austria is very easy. All customers have to do is accept Bank Austria's offer for the new credit card, which they will receive either in the MobileBanking app, in the Internet Banking 24You or by post during the course of the year.
The following features are central to the new generation credit cards:
• Digital-first experience - Apple Pay, Google Pay and from mid 2025 on real-time credit limit adjustments ensure a modern and flexible payment experience for maximum convenience
• One app, one bank - everything to do with credit cards is fully integrated into the UniCredit Bank Austria MobileBanking app, no additional app is required
• Seamless transfer: customers will be notified of the new card offer in tranches from March 2025 until the end of the year, ensuring a smooth and effortless changeover
• Exclusive Mastercard partnership: Worldwide acceptance at 120 million locations and cash withdrawals at 2.5 million ATMs
• Sustainable and inclusive - All new credit cards are Mastercard Touch Cards, which are made from recycled plastic and have a tactile notch for easier identification
• Bank Austria is the first bank in Austria to introduce these barrier-free cards in Austria
CEO Ivan Vlaho comments: “Innovation is not just about technology - it’s about making life easier for our customers. We now offer Google Pay and Apple Pay as a standard service for all credit and debit cards. Payments should be simple and that's exactly what we ensure.”
Modern solutions for card acceptance
In the future, UniCredit Bank Austria will offer omnichannel solutions - POS, e-commerce and mobile payments such as SoftPOS (card acceptance directly on smartphones). This guarantees full flexibility that covers all customer needs. Ivan Vlaho says: “When payments are effortless, business thrives - and that’s exactly what we enable.”
Payments are no longer just a transaction - they are a success factor. A seamless payment experience increases sales, customer satisfaction and efficiency. Speed and reliability are essential for this: ultra-fast transactions at terminals ensure smooth payments at the checkout. UniCredit Bank Austria will offer provision of terminals within a maximum of 48 hours; with softPOS and cCommerce, a few hours are enough for companies to be able to accept card payments.
The focus is on intelligent tools for merchants with integrated data analysis, fraud monitoring and customized solutions that are secure and scalable. The platform grows with the company and at the same time UniCredit Bank Austria guarantees first-class risk management.
The demand for digital and mobile payments is growing strongly
Card payments are booming: in Austria, the number of card transactions (debit and credit cards) reached a record 1.9 billion in 2024 - an increase of 13 per cent compared to the previous year. Since 2015, the number of credit card transactions has more than doubled and the total number of card payments has more than tripled. In 2024, a total transaction volume of EUR 80 billion was generated with Austrian payment cards, more than 70 percent of which was domestic. Austria is still a cash-friendly country, as 58 per cent of payments are still made in cash, but other European countries show the potential: in Sweden and the Netherlands, for example, only 10 per cent of payments are still made in cash.
Today's customers expect fast, secure and seamless payments - whether in-store or online. Across Europe, mobile payments and mobile wallets are on the rise - especially among the younger generation: over 60 percent of 18 to 35-year-olds rely on mobile wallets for their daily spending. 95 percent of all card payments at physical terminals in Austria are now contactless. And in the future, more sectors will switch to cashless payments - sectors where cash or bank transfers are still common today: Doctors' surgeries, law firms and other service providers.
“We don't just make payments easier - we help shape how money is moved in the future. Speed, security and simplicity – a payment must meet all three criteria to meet modern quality standards”, concludes Ivan Vlaho.
Enquiries:
UniCredit Bank Austria Media Relations
Matthias Raftl, Tel. +43 (0)5 05 05-52809
E-Mail: matthias.raftl@unicreditgroup.at