In June, EMVCo welcomed industry stakeholders from around the world to its EMV® User Meeting in Osaka, Japan. In this post, Oliver Manahan, EMVCo Director of Engagement and Operations, explains why the event continues to hold a unique role in EMVCo’s calendar – bringing the EMV community together to connect with peers and explore what’s next in payments.
Enabling payments innovation
Our annual EMV User Meeting has traditionally served as a bellwether for progress across the global card payments ecosystem, and this year’s sessions demonstrated just how far EMV technology has come.
Discussions encompassed electric vehicle (EV) open payments, the regulatory and technical trends shaping digital identity wallet and payment authentication, in-store payment acceptance innovation, and evolving cryptography in EMV Chip payments security. The agenda also addressed ongoing work to optimise EMVCo Approvals and Evaluations processes and improve access to EMV publications.
Importantly, it is clear that as payments technology has advanced, so too has the EMV community – which is now broader than ever. Looking ahead, engagement and collaboration with our increasingly diverse range of Associates, Subscribers and industry partners will support the development and evolution of EMV Specifications that promote innovation and address marketplace needs.
Exploring the rise of cashless payments in Japan
The EMV User Meeting was not the only show in town where payments innovation was front and centre, as Osaka plays host to the famous World Expo event for the second time.
Held in a different city every five years, the World Expo aims to highlight scientific, technological, economic and social progress. Expo 2025 is centred on the theme of ‘Designing Future Society for Our Lives’ and, perhaps most excitingly for payment enthusiasts, marks the first time the event has gone entirely cashless. This is why we were privileged to be joined by Mayu Suzuki for a guest presentation from the organisation that is supporting and promoting this effort – the Payments Japan Association.
Much like EMVCo, its activities are focused on addressing challenges present in the payments landscape that require a collaborative approach to solve. The presentation offered valuable insight into Japan’s journey from cash to digital payments, highlighting the different payment preferences of consumers and the critical role of EMV technologies in helping enable secure, consistent and reliable experiences across different payment methods.
Global growth of EMV Chip technology continues
Amid such innovation, it is possible to overlook the enduring success of EMV Chip technology and the sheer scale it has achieved. Yet the role it plays in providing a trusted foundation for seamless and secure payments was highlighted by the latest worldwide EMV deployment statistics, which were released as proceedings opened in Osaka.
Figures showed that at the end of 2024, over 14.7 billion EMV Chip cards were in global circulation – representing a 7% increase compared to the previous twelve months. In addition, over 96% of card-present transactions were conducted used EMV Chip technology and almost 72% of issued cards are EMV-enabled.
Join our next EMV User Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah
Following the successful gathering in Osaka, we encourage all EMVCo Associates and Subscribers to continue to actively participate and engage. Please also mark your calendars for the 2026 EMV User Meeting, which will take place in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA from 9-10 June 2026. In addition, be sure to register for the following events this year:
- Board of Advisors Meeting, 21-22 October 2025, Charleston, USA
- Technical Meeting, 17-20 November 2025, Vienna, Austria
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by Michael Ward
by Arman Aygen