(Finance) – “Digital payments can help bring clear macroeconomic and social benefits through the digitalisation of the economy. This is reflected, according to a study by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS, 2024) on the growth of GDP per capita, estimated at 0.1% over two years. We then look at SMEs, the estimated benefits are similar, so an increase in digitalisation corresponds to an increase in turnover in real terms If we were able to close this 33% gap, we would obtain an increase in overall turnover of over 200 billion euros per year, of which 5%, around 10 billion per year, would benefit small and medium-sized Italian businesses For years, Visa has been actively engaged in contributing to the digitalization of millions of SMEs globally, including over 1 million in Italy.” This is what he said Charlotte Hogg, CEO Visa Europein his speech to Comolake 2024
“Visa is committed to supporting the Public Administration in the development of new digital services and solutions for citizens. On the urban mobility front, in Italy,” he continued Hogg – the volume of payments on public transport via card and smartphone has grown by 85% in the last year. To date, 39 cities and two entire regions offer access to public transport via contactless payments, also thanks to our collaboration with local authorities and sector operators. The theme of digital education remains fundamental. A virtuous example are the educational initiatives carried out in partnership with PagoPA, in order to accelerate the path towards the provision of efficient, safe and economically advantageous services for businesses and citizens. An increasingly close collaboration between the public and private sectors, supported by flexible policies, can incentivize the investments necessary to accelerate on the digital front, growing the payments ecosystem and advancing technological interoperability. In this perspective, – concluded the CEO Visa Europe – we welcome the recent initiative announced by the Italian Government, which intends to represent a best practice in the evolution of the Digital IT wallet”.