Launch of contactless payments with IKO!

- PKO Bank Polski provides its customers with modern technological solutions offering them complete banking by phone. We want our solutions to be simple and functional, yet safe and accessible anywhere. Mobile contactless payments with IKO application, launched in partnership with Visa, are another step in that direction - says Jacek Obłękowski, Vice President of the Management Board responsible for the retail area.

Using mobile contactless payments in HCE (Host Card Emulation) technology is simple. One needs a phone equipped with NFC module, with the operating system Android 4.4 or higher. It is also necessary to upgrade or install the latest version of IKO application, downloaded from Google Play store. The last step is to assign in IKO the VISA debit or credit card to be used for contactless payments. From that moment the customer can quickly and safely pay using a smartphone.

Transactions up till PLN 50 do not require PIN code confirmation on the terminal. Payments exceeding PLN 50 need to be confirmed in IKO with mobile application PIN code. Internet access in the phone is not required to make the payment. - With HCE you can pay anywhere contactless payments are accepted, i.e. in more than 365 thousand terminals in Poland. The technology utilizes cloud computing. The application installed on a smartphone connects with the cloud. In this rapid way it collects data necessary to carry out the transaction. We're working on making this functionality also available to MasterCard cards holders - explains Piotr Helbich, Director of Cards and Payments Department.

Mobile contactless payments are the first novelty announced for this year to the IKO application users at PKO Bank Polski. Other novelties like banking account application through the app, money transfers to the phone number of people using BLIK at other banks, or IKO login using Touch ID are planned for the coming months.

According to statistics, the number of application users has been steadily growing. It has more than 450 thousand users, of which more than 200 thousand use the latest version launched in November of last year. In the fourth quarter of 2015, the number of unique mobile clients at PKO Bank Polski amounted to 1,67 million and was by 11% larger than in the third quarter of 2015. Each week, IKO users log to the application approx. 1 million times carrying out even 80 thousand transactions. Most frequently these are payments to a bank account and a mobile number, as well as cash withdrawals from ATMs.

The advertising campaign of IKO mobile application with HCE contactless payments functionality has been launched on 18 January. The campaign will be implemented on TV and the Internet. The campaign’s slogan is "Take the first step into mobile banking. Download the new IKO application and operate your account on your phone". The media house Universal McCann is responsible for TV campaign planning and buying. The campaign on the internet was planned and bought by the interactive media house Value Media. DDB and OS3 developed the campaign’s creation.

****

PKO Bank Polski is a leader of the Polish banking sector. After three quarters of 2015, PKO Bank Polski Group posted a consolidated net profit of PLN 2 165 million. PKO Bank Polski ranked #1 with six stars in the overall classification in the Forbes magazine Best Corporate Bank ranking. The Bank ranked #3 in the Banking Quality 2013 ranking of TNS Polska and Puls Biznesu. The Bank's Contact Center, for the sixth time in a row, was a winner in a regular survey of banks' hotlines carried out by ARC Rynek i Opinia. The Bank won for another consecutive year in the ranking of the top 50 banks in Poland published by the financial monthly Bank. PKO Bank Polski won this year's edition of the ranking in the category of Property Financing Banks and ranked third among Consumer Finance Banks. PKO Bank Polski was awarded for the implementation of the IKO application in the Electronic Banking and E-Finance category of the 12th edition of the Financial Institutions IT Leader 2013 competition of Gazeta Bankowa. PKO Bank Polski was also awarded for its Innovation Centre in the category Back Office Systems. Around a dozen financial institutions, mainly representing the banking and insurance industry, competed for the IT Leader award. The jury of the Competition of the 8th E-Economy Congress awarded PKO Junior in the Project of the Year category. PKO Bank Polski also enjoys the strongest image among Polish banks. According to a prestigious magazine The Banker which values PKO Bank Polski's brand name at USD 1.25 billion, the Bank remains the most valuable brand in Polish banking sector. According to the ranking of the Most Valuable Polish Brands 2013 by Rzeczpospolita daily, PKO Bank Polski remained the most valuable brand in the financial industry category, valued at PLN 3.7 billion. In 2012, the Jury of the Banking Leaders Competition, organised as a part of the Polish Economic Congress, awarded PKO Bank Polski as the Best Bank and the Most Innovative Bank for the new offer of School Saving Associations. In rankings based on students' opinions, the Bank was ranked as one of the best employers in Poland. The Bank's high position is also confirmed by surveys carried out by the international company Universum Global and AIESEC among students of Poland's best universities. PKO Bank Polski is also a winner of the Golden Banker 2013 award in the Best Mortgage Loan and the Financial Innovation categories for its IKO application.