I also want to highlight the need for strong data security and customer identification. Finally I shall wrap up with some comments on the change process and its incentives in payment services. Statistical developments Statistical data shows that there has been clear growth in non-cash payments within the EU15 area over the years.
The strongest growth has been in card payments, on average 12% annually over the last few years. The use of payment instruments varies considerably within the EU15. (EU15 figures are used in order to harmonise the chart's information). In high usage countries such as the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland and Sweden), the average number of card transactions per person is 130-150 transactions per year.