PKO Bank Polski has become the first bank in Poland to successfully complete a contactless BLIK payment on an iPhone using the PKO Junior app. The successful transaction marks the next milestone in the rollout of contactless BLIK payments for Apple device users. However, the service is still under development and is not expected to become commercially available for at least several months.
The first transaction took place on 30 July at a Lidl store, where an iPhone was used to make a contactless BLIK payment for a pack of Junior breadsticks costing PLN 5.49. The pilot, which has now begun, will allow the bank to validate the full payment journey and the interoperability of all systems involved in processing the transaction.
The pilot has been launched in the PKO Junior app, designed for children up to the age of 13. Ultimately, however, the solution is intended to be made available to all PKO Bank Polski customers using Apple devices.
We are the market leader in contactless BLIK payments on Android, with our customers accounting for more than half of all such transactions in Poland. Until now, iOS users have not had access to this solution, which is why we are the first bank to begin testing it in a live environment. We want to be ready to meet the expectations of Apple users and become the leader in the Apple ecosystem as well. This is particularly important for younger iPhone users, some of whom are currently unable to make contactless payments because of Apple Pay's age restrictions. BLIK integrated into the PKO Junior banking app could provide them with this capability while also helping them develop safe and responsible financial habits
- said Paweł Placzke, Director of the Retail Customer Products Department at PKO Bank Polski.
The successful completion of the first and subsequent pilot transactions does not yet mean the service is ready for commercial launch. PKO Bank Polski and BLIK will continue to refine the solution before making it available to customers. The next stages of the project include further testing, optimisation and preparations for a wider rollout. This process will take at least several months, and no launch date can be confirmed at this stage.
The successful iOS transaction marks a major milestone in the development of contactless BLIK payments and clearly shows that a change long anticipated by the market is now within reach. At the same time, it demonstrates that the current scale of the BLIK ecosystem does not reflect the full extent of our ambitions. The POS channel continues to offer significant growth potential, which is why we are developing solutions that expand the ways customers can use BLIK while supporting the growth of our partner banks. Further testing and development lie ahead before the service is ready for wider rollout
- said Monika Król, Vice President of Polski Standard Płatności, the operator of BLIK.
Media contact:
Klaudia Rombalska
Press office
klaudia.rombalska@clearcom.pl
