LOUISVILLE, KY – A new survey by the Smart Payment Association reveals contactless payment card shipments are on the rise, Mobile Payments Today reports.

Last year, roughly one-quarter of all smart cards shipped included contactless technologies, with year-over-year increases in Western Europe (106%) and Asia Pacific (11%) registering the strongest gains.

Dual interface cards, those incorporating chip and PIN and contactless technologies, grew at 77% year-over-year.

More than 975 million cards shipped last year, with the total number of China’s migration to chip-based payment cards growing 24%. Europe’s growth was 8%, mainly driven by contactless technology. In North America, contactless card shipments increased just 1%, with most of those cards bound for Canada. 

Last year, 56% of global shipments featured dynamic data authentication or combined data authentication, up 47% from the year prior.

"The data from this annual review points to a rapidly-changing payment marketplace," said Andreas Strobel, president of the Smart Payment Association. "NFC contactless payment is becoming a priority, but without effective collaboration between global and regional standards bodies, the ability to deliver on consumer expectations will be constrained. SPA's role is to help facilitate these discussions and support innovative new approaches to assure the industry is able to realize the tremendous opportunities that new technologies can bring."