We notice you are visiting from a U.S. Internet provider. 
13/07/2010 -
Credit card terminals are going to experience an large rise in branded prepaid card use, a new report finds.The Prepaid Market Sizing Report, commissioned by MasterCard, found that the total market value for branded prepaid cards in the U.S. is likely to surpass $440 billion by 2017. As of 2009, the industry was valued at $120.2 billion - one-fourth that size.
Additionally, substantial growth is expected worldwide for prepaid cards. While the U.S. will still hold approximately 53 percent of the market in other countries such as Brazil, is expected to expand exponentially - from $1.7 billion last year to over $17 billion in 2017.
The report found that the public and corporate sectors, particularly in health care, are driving growth. By 2017, the public sector will quadruple its prepaid card holdings from $31.7 billion to $163 billion. Use of the cards in healthcare by 2017 will grow to $52 billion.
Currently, policymakers in Washington, D.C. are considering an expansion of prepaid cards to help prevent the unbanked and underbanked from incurring additional charges from alternative financial institutions.
