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SWEDBANK SHUT DOWN ITS MOBILE PAYMENT SERVICE BART

Published by Gbaf News

Posted on January 23, 2014

2 min read
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Swedbank Announces Closure of Bart

Swedbank, one of the largest banks in Sweden, has decided to close down its proprietary mobile payment solution Bart and this just half a year after launch. One reason is said to be lower number of users than expectations.

swedbank shut down its mobile payment service bart

swedbank shut down its mobile payment service bart

User Numbers and Unrevealed Investment

According to Swedbank, the service has about 20,000 registred users.  How much Swedbank has invested in the Bart project is not disclosed.

How Bart Worked and Store Integration

In June 2013 Swedbank announced that the Bart service, who works with the help of QR codes photographed by cameras mounted next to the cash register, was installed in all of Axfood grocery stores.

Swedbank, one of the largest banks in Sweden, has decided to close down its proprietary mobile payment solution Bart and this just half a year after launch. One reason is said to be lower number of users than expectations.

swedbank shut down its mobile payment service bart

swedbank shut down its mobile payment service bart

According to Swedbank, the service has about 20,000 registred users.  How much Swedbank has invested in the Bart project is not disclosed.

In June 2013 Swedbank announced that the Bart service, who works with the help of QR codes photographed by cameras mounted next to the cash register, was installed in all of Axfood grocery stores.

Key Takeaways

  • Swedbank is discontinuing its mobile payment app Bart just half a year after its launch due to low adoption.
  • The service had around 20,000 registered users and was deployed in over 350 Axfood stores via QR‑code payments.
  • Swedbank did not disclose investment amount and will focus on collaborative solutions like Swish going forward.
  • The pilot began mid‑2012, rolled out widely by mid‑2013, and the service was terminated in February 2014.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What was Bart?
Bart was Swedbank’s proprietary QR‑code based mobile payment service linked to customers’ bank accounts.
Why did Swedbank discontinue Bart?
Adoption failed to meet expectations: only 20,000 users signed up and few merchants beyond Axfood participated.
How widely was Bart available?
By mid‑2013, Bart was installed in over 350 Axfood grocery stores (Hemköp, Willys, PrisXtra) across Sweden.
When did Swedbank shut down Bart?
Swedbank discontinued the Bart service in spring 2014, officially ceasing it on 28 February 2014.
What will Swedbank focus on now?
The bank will shift its mobile payments efforts toward collaborative solutions like Swish, developed with other banks.

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