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3 NEWS 8.12.2022 FOLLOWING the introduc- tion of a digital wallet ser- vice in Malta by Google a few weeks ago, Bank of Valletta is now supported by Google Wallet™. is means that BOV card- holders can now enroll their Visa credit and debit cards on the Google Wallet app which can be downloaded from the Google Playstore on the card- holder's Android device. BOV customers who have an NFC-enabled Android device, will now be able to affect con- tactless card payments at any point of sale in retail outlets, as well as online payments at online merchants who also support Google Wallet. Once a BOV Visa debit or credit card is enrolled to a digital wallet such as Google Wallet, a token (a virtual card number) replaces the user's ac- tual card number when stored in the digital wallet. is is a security feature which ensures that the user's card number is protected at all times and is never communi- cated throughout the payment process. Affecting payments by means of a digital wallet using a smart device, is the way for- ward - simple, secure and fast. Furthermore, it gives the user convenience to roam around cashless without the need of a physical wallet. Using a digital wallet also eliminates the need to remem- ber different PIN numbers at- tached to different cards, as au- thentication is done simply by unlocking the device through biometric authentication and placing the device within close proximity to the Point of Sale. BOV cards now available on Google Wallet FROM PAGE 1 e government had already sought approval for Virtu Ferries and Gozo Fast Ferry to each receive up to €500,000 in financial aid under the EU's Temporary Crisis Framework for state aid measures to support the economy following the aggression against Ukraine by Russia. But in September it had approached the Commission seeking to increase the aid offered and extend the scheme's mandate beyond 2022. "I confirm that the Commission has given its go-ahead for the government to offer the public service contract to the ferry operators," Brian Buhagiar, acting head of the European Commis- sion Representation in Malta, told this newspaper, on Wednesday. In September, the Transport Minis- try had confirmed the government had sought permission from the European Commission and that the contract would be validated pending final au- thorisation from the Commission. at authorisation came on 2 De- cember when the Commission ruled that the government's scheme "is com- patible with the internal market pur- suant to Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union". e objective of the existing aid scheme is to remedy the liquidity shortage faced by undertakings that are directly or indirectly affected by the serious disturbance of the econo- my caused by the Russian aggression against Ukraine, the sanctions im- posed by the EU or by its international partners, as well as by the economic counter measures taken so far by Rus- sia. Malta approached the Commission to amend the existing aid scheme as follows: • to prolong the existing aid scheme until 31 December 2023, both as regards the period for which aid can be granted and the final date by when the aid will be granted; • to increase the maximum aid amount per beneficiary under- taking at any given point in time to €2 million; and • to increase the overall budget of the existing aid scheme from €1 million to € 4 million. In its submissions, Malta confirmed that no further amendments were proposed to the existing aid scheme and that all other conditions of that scheme remain unaltered. Sources in the industry told Business- Today that it was clear that the two fast ferry services were floundering because of low passenger take-up, and not as a result of the war in Ukraine. "What has the war in Ukraine got to do with the fast ferries?" one operator in the sector said. "When the service was launched it immediately became clear that two companies operating the same route were unnecessary. Moreo- ver, passenger take-up never ramped up, possible due to the pricing of the service and the companies' schedules." When the service was launched in June 2021, the two operators offered alternate routes and different prices, but the two companies later reformed their ticketing system so that any tick- ets bought can be used interchange- ably between services on a shared schedule. If confirmed, the two-year service contract would bind operators to maintain a schedule in line with peo- ple's needs as well as fix prices, the government said. e contract will also allow people receiving treatment at Mater Dei Hos- pital and the Gozo General Hospital to make use of the fast ferry service for free. SEE ALSO EDITORIAL PAGE 9 Low passenger take-up, one too many operators, blamed for fast ferry failure When launching the fast ferry service Prime minister Robert Abela (middle) had said government believed in providing the opportunity for the private sector to flourish in a level playing field

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