Merchant Acquiring: Middle East

Middle East Merchant Acquirer Research Report

The Middle East is an ever-evolving region but amid the political and economic instability which continues to challenge the region. The banking and payments industry has been flourishing. With oil prices forecast to remain low, there is a renewed focus on developing alternative industries in oil-dependent countries. Financial services in the Middle East is one of the prime areas of focus.

Traditionally a cash-heavy region, credit cards began to gain a foothold in the early years of the millennium as banks tapped into the potential presented by expatriate professionals arriving to work in the Arab Gulf states. The consumer credit patterns of this segment, coupled with the high spending and frequent travelling of a wealthy elite, has formed the basis for a highly profitable credit cards industry.

Verisk Financial Research's Merchant Acquiring Middle East report takes a data-driven look at the government initiatives, regional variations, payments infrastructure, demographic trends, and key players driving the region's cards markets.

The report provides a commentary on the key themes in each country's cards and payments market, plus a regional benchmarking overview including:

• Credit card adoption and use
• Merchant Service Charges (MSC)
• Income from MSCs

Databanks going back to 2010 for each country feature:

• Credit card numbers, including consumer and commercial credit cards
• Total credit card metrics, including billed volumes, transaction volumes, and average transaction values -- split by POS and ATM data
• Credit card profitability indicators: rollover rate, net credit losses, credit card interchange fees
• Debit card numbers: number of cards, the average number of cards per 100 adults
• Debit card metrics: billed volume on debit cards, transactions on debit cards, average transaction value on debit cards, average transaction numbers per month.
• Merchant acquirer credit card market share
• Credit card merchant service charges
• Merchant acquirer debit card market share
• Debit card merchant service charges
• Credit card issuer/issuing processor relationships
• Credit card acquirer/acquiring processor relationships
• Merchant acquirer credit card market share
• Credit card merchant service charges
• Merchant acquirer debit card market share
• Debit card merchant service charges
• Online merchant acquirer market share

Merchant Acquiring Middle East is essential reading for cards and payments professionals seeking to understand and profit from developments in the region's merchant services market.

See the full list Middle East Country Reports.