Belinvestbank JSC is the First JCB Acquiring Bank in Belarus

Oct 14, 2016 15:00 JST

Source: Belinvestbank

Minsk and Tokyo, Oct 14, 2016 - (ACN Newswire) - Belinvestbank JSC ("Belinvestbank"), a leading bank in Belarus, and JCB International Co., Ltd. ("JCBI"), the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., today announced that they have signed a license agreement on merchant acquiring of JCB cards in Belarus. The agreement was signed by Gennady Sysoev, Chairman of the Board of Belinvestbank, and Kimihisa Imada, Deputy President of JCBI, and a press conference was held in Minsk on October 10th.

Entering the market of Belarus will give JCB cardmembers more convenience during their stay in the country. JCB cardmembers will be able to pay for goods and services with their cards and to withdraw the local currency from ATMs, which eliminates the need for foreign currency exchange.

Kimihisa Imada commented: "I am confident that the partnership with Belinvestbank, which is among the five strongest banks in Belarus, will expand the JCB card acceptance network and will contribute to the development of the payment industry of the Republic of Belarus. The number of JCB cardmembers is growing, and I am glad that now cashless transactions are available for JCB cards in Belarus. Belarus is a convenient location for tourists from Russia, where banks are issuing JCB cards, and also has a rich history and culture that can attract numerous cardmembers from Japan, China, South Korea and other countries of the Asia-Pacific region".

Cooperation between Belinvestbank and JCBI will allow Belinvestbank merchants to serve a new segment of customers - JCB cardmembers and co-badged MIR-JCB cardmembers including businesspeople, tourists, and students from Russia and the Asian region - and will increase and develop card payments in the country as a whole.

Belinvestbank has a wide network with more than 6,000 merchants and 700 ATMs located in the territory of the Republic of Belarus and this network is constantly expanding. It is planned that all JCB cardmembers will be able to use JCB cards at the bank's acceptance locations.

"We highly appreciate our cooperation with JCBI", said Gennady Sysoev, the Chairman of Belinvestbank Board. "Certainly, our cooperation will allow our partners from Japan to expand their payment cards acceptance network on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, and Belinvestbank in its turn will be able to open new opportunities for its clients worldwide and to strengthen its positions in the market of merchant and ATM acquiring", he added.

About Belinvestbank

Belarusian Bank for Development and Reconstruction (Belinvestbank) Joint Stock Company is a universal bank, focused on retail banking and corporate banking services for legal entities of different types of incorporation and business areas, and conducts all types of bank operations. The bank has extensive correspondent relations with the biggest foreign banks, conducts all types of international payments, accepted in the world practice, and provides settlement services of international trade transactions to its clients throughout the CIS, Europe and the USA. Belinvestbank JSC is a member of the Association of Belarusian banks, JSC Belarusian Currency and Stock Exchange, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), international payment systems VISA International and MASTERCARD International, national payment system BelCard. Belinvestbank official website: www.belinvestbank.by

About JCB

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading payment card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 31 million merchants and over a million cash advance locations in 190 countries and territories. JCB cards are now issued in 21 countries and territories, with more than 95 million card members. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase merchant coverage and card member base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to provide responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/

Note: Statistics in About JCB are as of March 2016.

Contact
JCB International Co., Ltd.
Ayako Tanaka
Corporate Planning
Tel: 81-3-5778-8390
Email: jcbinternational-pr@info.jcb.co.jp

Belinvestbank
Irina Korol
PR manager
Tel: +375-17-2395256
Email: korol_ia@belinvestbank.by

Source: Belinvestbank
Sectors: Cards & Payments