London's buskers to start taking card payments thanks to Swedish iZettle
Swedish payment services start-up iZettle is about to bring a slice of card-happy Sweden to Britain as the firm partners with a Mayor of London initiative to allow the city’s buskers to receive contactless debit card payments.
Known in the Nordic nation for developing the first card chip-reader that connects directly to mobile phones and tablets, the company's products can be seen in cafes, food trucks and even market stalls across Sweden, where cards are increasingly ubiquitous among small businesses who traditionally used cash in the past.
London's buskers, who have been suffering in recent years as cash-free payments grow in popularity, are the next group set to get a tech upgrade thanks to a partnership with Mayor of London initiative Busk in London, in which iZettle will give street performers contactless card readers.
READ ALSO: iZettle gets €30m to fund AI research
Londoners can thank Sweden for the "I don't have any change on me" excuse no longer being valid if you want to avoid paying the person who serenades your walk to work from the Tube every day.
The readers are being rolled out in 32 London boroughs with more locations further afield to come, and iZettle also wants to make them available to charities and other small businesses.
"More people than ever tap-to-donate whilst I sing, and often when one person does another follows," busker Charlotte Campbell, who was part of a trial launch of the readers, told the BBC.
Earlier this month PayPal announced it will buy iZettle for $2.2 billion, weeks after the Swedish firm revealed it is preparing to go public.
READ ALSO: Paypal buys Sweden's iZettle
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Known in the Nordic nation for developing the first card chip-reader that connects directly to mobile phones and tablets, the company's products can be seen in cafes, food trucks and even market stalls across Sweden, where cards are increasingly ubiquitous among small businesses who traditionally used cash in the past.
London's buskers, who have been suffering in recent years as cash-free payments grow in popularity, are the next group set to get a tech upgrade thanks to a partnership with Mayor of London initiative Busk in London, in which iZettle will give street performers contactless card readers.
READ ALSO: iZettle gets €30m to fund AI research
Londoners can thank Sweden for the "I don't have any change on me" excuse no longer being valid if you want to avoid paying the person who serenades your walk to work from the Tube every day.
The readers are being rolled out in 32 London boroughs with more locations further afield to come, and iZettle also wants to make them available to charities and other small businesses.
"More people than ever tap-to-donate whilst I sing, and often when one person does another follows," busker Charlotte Campbell, who was part of a trial launch of the readers, told the BBC.
Earlier this month PayPal announced it will buy iZettle for $2.2 billion, weeks after the Swedish firm revealed it is preparing to go public.
READ ALSO: Paypal buys Sweden's iZettle
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