“Mobile phones have become a multipurpose tool and an important part of our everyday lives,” said Sandra Alzetta, Senior Vice President, Innovation at Visa Europe. “Our projects across Europe are showing strong demand for payment solutions with mobile phones and consumers acceptance of modern payment methods offering high standards of speed, convenience and security.” Visa payWave uses short-range wireless Near Field Communication (NFC) technology to enable wave and pay capability. NFC is used to securely exchange payment details between a contactless-enabled mobile phone or card and a special reader at the point of sale. Consumers wave their card or mobile phone in front of the reader to make payments of up to CHF 40 (Euros 25), with no need for physical swiping or insertion of the card or phone into a point-of-sale device. The service has been designed to speed up payment for purchases typically made using cash. To enhance security, consumers are periodically requested to enter a PIN or mobile PIN. Visa payWave commercial services and pilots for cards have been launched in the UK, France, Turkey, Poland, Italy and Switzerland. www.visaeurope.de