• The first environmentally friendly card in Romania is the Visa Classic debit card, issued by BT and produced by IDEMIA.
• Transforming the Visa Classic card portfolio into an eco-friendly one means reducing the carbon footprint by 36%.
• BT has proposed that by 2022 all newly issued cards be eco-friendly.
• Until 2025, almost the entire BT card portfolio will be made of recycled plastic and biodegradable elements.

Banca Transilvania from now on has in its portfolio environmentally friendly cards, made from recycled plastic and biodegradable elements. The first eco-friendly card in Romania is the debit card BT Visa Classic, realized in collaboration with IDEMIA, global leader in augmented identity and in the innovative payment technology industry. In the first stage, new cards will be issued in this version, and later also those reissued due to card expiration. The new version retains all functionalities of the existing card – from access to the current account in lei, to contactless payments.

Banca Transilvania started with Visa Classic the transformation of the card portfolio because it is the most common card among its clients, with over 2.9 million cards in circulation. Transforming this portfolio into an eco-friendly one means reducing the carbon footprint by 36%. Also for environmental protection and consumption reduction, BT will replace existing cards with recycled plastic variants upon expiration, and not before this moment.

The bank has set a goal that by the year 2022 all issued cards will be eco-friendly, so that by 2025 almost the entire BT card portfolio will be made of recycled plastic and biodegradable elements. Also, the bank will continue to encourage the use of digital cards through BT Pay and other alternative payment instruments. Currently, 1 out of 2 BT cards are also in digital format, and the trend is increasing.

“We are pleased to mark a new premiere on the market. By transforming cards into an environmentally friendly version, we contribute to reducing the negative impact on it. The infrastructure and payment habits do not yet allow us to have only digital cards, but we are happy to have physical support at Banca Transilvania in an eco-friendly form, during the transition period towards a 100% digital environment. It is an essential step for us, as the market leader in cards, in supporting the implementation of the circular economy, starting from the largest portfolio of cards, Visa Classic”, declares Oana Ilas. Executive Director Retail Products Management & Development, Transilvania Bank.

„IDEMIA is proud to be a long-term partner of Banca Transilvania and to support its sustainability goals with our GREENPAY solutions, offering new and more environmentally friendly products and services, in line with the growing consumer demand for such products. The migration to recycled plastic reduces plastic waste, saves energy, limits oil consumption, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to mitigating global warming and reducing air pollution, which is one of the most pressing issues of our modern world ”, said Tomas Kovarik, Vice President CEE & CIS, Financial Institutions, IDEMIA.

GREENPAY solutions from IDEMIA allow responsible use of resources and aim to reduce the use of PVC plastic in card manufacturing, minimizing environmental impact and pollution.

Through remote banking for individuals and companies, Banca Transilvania offers a series of alternatives of green payments, which contribute to the financial inclusion of Romanians and to the reduction of the carbon footprint. Most of them are in the applications BT Pay, NeoBT and BT Visual Help, namely: access to digital cards before being physically received (BT Pay); online current account opening and online card issuance (NeoBT), with digital signature; obtaining electronic account statements; receiving PINs/activation codes for cards, etc. by SMS

BT is the market leader in cards in Romania, with a market share of approximately 23%.