anb and JCB International Co, Ltd, the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co Ltd, have partnered to launch JCB Card acceptance at all its POS and ATM locations deployed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

 

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading payment card issuer and acquirer in Japan, and JCB Cards are used by more than 140 million cardholders and accepted at about 39 million locations globally.

 

As part of supporting the cashless society and financial inclusion that is related to Vision 2030, anb and JCB have partnered to enable the acceptance of JCB Cards. The partnership is a continuation of JCB's plan for entering the Saudi market, a destination of ever-increasing importance for its cardholders around the world for both business and tourism.

 

JCB cardholders

Yuichiro Kadowaki, Regional Head - Middle East & Africa CEO, JCB Middle East LLC, said: "Saudi Arabia has always been a very important destination for many of JCB cardholders, from both business and religious perspectives. With the strategic plan for Vision 2030, the country is now increasingly an important destination for tourism as well. anb's extensive reach in the market will ensure that JCB cardholders will be able to use JCB Cards at their convenience. The partnership will also enhance the already close fraternal ties between Saudi Arabia and Japan."

 

Nizar Altwaijri, Deputy Managing Director of anb, said: "anb's engagement with JCB will enable our payment systems to accept JCB Cards in the kingdom over ATM, POS and eCommerce channels. As kingdom's economy opens up to welcoming tourists like never before, this strategic agreement will go a long way in supporting the tourism sector, which is one of the pillars of Saudi Vision 2030. This agreement is also in line with the kingdom's plan to grow the number of options available for digital payments in the economy and will position KSA as one of the leading countries to accept a wide range of international scheme cards as part of its payment eco-system."-- TradeArabia News Service