Tokyo, June 4, 2009 - JCB, the only international payment brand based in Japan, and its international subsidiary JCB International (JCBI) today announced that JCBI has signed an agreement with Ping An Bank Co. Limited (Ping An Bank), part of the major financial group Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China Ltd., for issuing JCB cards in China. Starting June 1, 2009, Ping An Bank began promoting the new "Ping An Bank BE@RBRICK JCB Card" featuring the popular BE@RBRICK bear-shaped block-type figure owned by MEDICOM TOY CORPORATION, a Japanese toy maker.

Since 1982, JCB and JCB International have been expanding JCB card acceptance in China to increase convenience for JCB cardmembers. Currently JCB has alliances with eleven partner banks and financial institutions for merchant acquiring, and approximately 80,000 merchants now accept JCB cards.

JCB card issuing to consumers in China has also been expanding to meet the growing needs of the market for international credit cards. In addition to Ping An Bank Co. Limited, Bank of China, Bank of Shanghai, China Everbright Bank, China Merchants Bank, Shanghai Pudong Development Bank and China Minsheng Banking Corp., Ltd. have already launched JCB brand credit card issuing programs, and the cardmember base is more than two million in the country.

The new partnership with Ping An Bank announced today marks the seventh bank to start JCB card issuance in China. For JCB, the alliance is aimed to accelerate JCB brand growth in China, and for Ping An Bank, which is now aggressively building credit card business, it will expand their product line and further strengthen their customer base. JCB contributed expertise in co-brand program development to Ping An Bank for its launch of the Ping An Bank BE@RBRICK JCB Card.

JCB and JCBI are expanding partnerships for JCB brand card issuing with Chinese financial institutions by strategically utilizing the knowledge, skills and network built over 40 years in the credit card business, and are committed to developing and providing high-quality service to meet the diverse needs and lifestyles of China's consumers.

About the Ping An Bank BE@RBRICK JCB Card

Overview
Select from five card designs featuring BE@RBRICK, a bear-shaped block-type figure, loved by many collectors worldwide as well as in Japan, and now popular among China's metropolitan youth. This is the first international credit card in the world to feature BE@RBRICK. The card offers attractive functions and services to BE@RBRICK fans, including original BE@RBRICK rewards for points earned with the card. Cardmembers enjoy both Ping An Bank credit card functions and services and JCB international brand functions and services.