Increasing speed and efficiency of government payments

Reaching sustainable, effective and user-friendly urban mobility systems

Reactivating local economies through SMEs

Strengthening government public service capacities

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Government Payments

Urban Mobility Systems

City Data

Local Economies & SMEs

Government Capacities

How can insights from payments data empower urban planners to develop future-ready cities?

Among public and private sector alike, there is growing recognition¹ that well focused data insights and responsible public–private data collaboration can contribute to strategic decision-making with the potential to increase the prosperity of residents and businesses with greater accuracy, precision, and efficiency.

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Cities in Action

In today’s economies, data underpins everything, from international production processes to global e-commerce. According to IDC, the Global DataSphere is expected to more than double in size from 2022 to 2026². This large amount of data presents both as opportunity and a challenge for cities as they need to determine, from a large pool, what data will actually be useful to address a particular challenge. However, when used correctly, data insights can play a powerful role in building urban resilience.

An important source of urban insights can come from aggregated and anonymous payments data – collected when people or businesses make and receive digital or card payments. When aggregated, this data can provide a rich snapshot of actual consumer behavior, preferences, macro and microeconomic trends, and trends related to specific industries or services.

With the public sector more focused than ever on ensuring that resources and funds are spent effectively, insights taken from these spending patterns can serve as a powerful tool to help local and national governments develop informed and efficient policy responses. For instance, governments can make use of tourism insights to enhance tourism planning and support growth and digital public transportation insights can effectively enhance urban traffic planning, which can help cities reduce traffic congestion and manage local air quality.

Benefits of Tackling The Challenge

Many future ready cities are utilizing data and responsible public–private data collaboration to drive policy decisions that benefit cities and its residents:

Rapid and accurate insights on spend patterns

Strengthened understanding of macro and microeconomic trends

Improved policymaking

Cities in Action

¹Visa | Kearney, The Powerful Role Payments Data Can Play in the Public Sector, 2023
²IDC, Global DataSphere, Data Marketplaces, and Data as a Service, 2023 (Kearny)