Austria Card is partnered with watch manufacturer, LAKS GmbH, to introduce contactless payment in watches. Paul doesn't see payment via the mobile phone becoming the dominant payment method in the long run, due to the bulkiness of the phone. He reasoned that the watch makes a good candidate for contactless payments as it reduces the inconvenience of holding a mobile device, keeping the hands free.
In a spontaneous poll among members of the panel discussion on if consumers 10 years from now will still be carrying a card in their wallets, the opinion was split down the middle.
Khan, who voted 'yes' said, 'In 10 years, we will still have merchants that have not upgraded their POS to accept contactless/NFC mobile payments and accept card payment only. Like today, we still carry cash in our pockets even after 25 years of card payments, because many merchants accept cash only.
Despite the drop in number of exhibitors to 208 from 250 last year, the event organizer said the number of visitors, excluding exhibitors, was up by 6.5% to about 4,500.