Money, money circulation and credit - стр. 27

Table 1

The plastic cards market development indexes in Kazakhstan

As on January 1, 2010 banks issued 7.6 millions of payment cards and the quantity of these cards holders reached 7.1 million people (against the analogue period of 2009 – growth on 6.5 and 7,0 % consequently). The most widely-spread payment cards are cards of international systems, their share reached 97.1 %, local systems – 2.1 %.

In December, 2009 the transaction volumes with payment cards usage of the Kazakhstans emitters composed 300.6 billion tenge (the growth in compare with December, 2008 composed 18.4 %). The transactions’ quantity for December, 2009 reached 12.6 million and increased against December, 2008 to 14.1 %. Whereby the growth of wire transfers quantity reached 23.8 % (2.2 million transactions) and the quantity of cash withdrawal operations – 12.2 % (10.3 million transactions).

Plastic cards are manufactured from a special plastic and basically have a standard size: 2.125»x3.375» (about 53.9x85.6 mm.) and width – 0.039 (~ 0.76 mm.).

Plastic cards can be classified according to a variety of parameters. One of the main is an intended purpose. Cards can be devided on banking (sometimes they are called payment) and nonbanking (identification, club and discount).

Banking cards are supposed to be issued and used for performing of banking operations: opening of the accounts, settlement and cash services, currency trading, etc. Such card is a long service result of banking system of payment mechanism improvement and an integral feature of a modern human.

This card contains the following information: on the front the name of holder, number, term of validity, emitting bank logotype and payment system logotype are recorded. Some cards have a hologram either as one of protective means from forgery and on the back side of card there are a place for holder’s signature, magnetic stripe, sometimes holder’s photo and logotypes of cash machines’ net where a card could be cashed.

Card’s number consists of 16 figures: the first six figures are an emitting bank code (Issuing Bank), the following nine figures are a banking card number (a number of card-account) and the last figure is confirming.

Payment card is a personalized payment instrument which offers its holder a possibility of cashless payment for goods and/or services and of encashment in the bank’s divisions (branches) and in the banking cash machines. The trade/service enterprises and bank divisions which accept the cards form a net of servicing points (or receiving network).