As a Founding Member of the EHI Mobile Payment Initiative, Wirecard Is Driving Forward the Digitization of Payment Processes in Germany

ASCHHEIM, Germany, October 16, 2018 /PRNewswire/ --

• Consortium promotes mobile payment for retailers and consumers

Wirecard, global innovation leader in digital financial technology, together with the EHI Retail Institute and other partners including Google, Mastercard, Payback, GS1 Germany and Visa, has founded the EHI Mobile Payment Initiative. As a result of this initiative, the retail industry will be able to satisfy the growing demand from consumers for mobile payment solutions. The exchange of expertise among the partners also plays a significant role in the EHI Mobile Payment Initiative.

According to a representative survey by EHI, around 20 million German consumers are open to the concept of mobile payment. They particularly appreciate the speed and great simplicity of the payment process. By contrast, consumers who are yet to be convinced by the solution are in many cases not well informed or are not yet fully aware of the advantages of mobile payment.

Georg von Waldenfels, Executive Vice President Consumer Solutions at Wirecard, explains: "The market is mature for technology and both consumers and the retail industry are now demanding solutions which make the purchase process quicker and simpler without having to make significant changes when paying. This was exactly our vision when we launched our mobile payment app boon in 2015. Together with the other founding members, we are delighted to be able to educate both consumers and retailers alike about mobile payment solutions that are available on the market today."

With boon, Wirecard is a pioneer in mobile payment in Germany. boon was the industry's first fully digitized mobile payment solution and can be used independently from banks and telecommunications providers. Today, boon is available in ten European countries and, depending on the country, supports Apple Pay, Google Pay, Fitbit Pay and/or Garmin Pay.

boon provides users with a digital Mastercard which they can use for payments. The boon account can be topped up by credit card or bank transfer. The fact that you can use your smartphone for contactless payments completely bank-agnostically makes boon unique. Users connect their boon Mastercard with a mobile payment wallet such as Google Pay, take their mobile device, simply hold it at the checkout without having to open the app, and the payment is made. As a result, it is no longer necessary to own a credit card from a particular bank. Furthermore, boon facilitates free, real-time money transfers between boon users.

More information about boon can be found at: http://www.boonpayment.com 

This message is published by Wirecard. 

About Wirecard: 

Wirecard (GER: WDI) is one of the world's fastest growing digital platforms in the area of financial commerce. We provide both corporate clients and consumers with a constantly expanding ecosystem of real-time value-added services built around innovative digital payments by using an integrated B2B2C approach. This ecosystem concentrates on solutions in the areas payment and risk, retail and transaction banking, loyalty and coupon programs in addition to data analytics and conversion rate enhancement across all sales channels (online, mobile, ePOS). Wirecard operates regulated financial institutions in several key markets, in addition to holding issuing and acquiring licenses from all major payment and card networks. Wirecard AG is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (DAX and TecDAX, ISIN DE0007472060). Visit us on http://www.wirecard.com , follow us on Twitter @wirecard and on Facebook @wirecardgroup.

About the EHI: 

The EHI Retail Institute is a research and consultancy institute for retail and its partners. Its international network comprises around 800 member businesses from the retail, consumption and capital goods industries as well as service providers. The EHI collects important figures for high-street and online retail, identifies trends and develops solutions. It was established in 1951. The president is Kurt Jox, the CEO is Michael Gerling. GS1 Germany is a subsidiary of the EHI and the German Brands Association (Markenverband), and coordinates the allocation of the Global Trading Item Number (GTIN, formerly EAN) in Germany. In cooperation with the EHI, the Messe Düsseldorf organizes the EuroShop, the worldwide leading capital goods exhibition for trade, the EuroCIS, where the latest products, solutions and trends in IT and security technology are presented, and the C-star for Asiatic retail in Shanghai.

Wirecard media contact:

Wirecard AG
Jana Tilz
Tel.: +49(0)89-4424-1363
Email: jana.tilz@wirecard.com

EHI media contact:

EHI Retail Institute e.V.
Ute Holtmann
Tel.: +49(0)221-579-93-996
Email: holtmann@ehi.org