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Himalayan Bank to Start JCB Issuing and Acquiring in Nepal
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Kathmandu and Tokyo, June 23, 2011 - Himalayan Bank Limited (HBL), a major commercial bank in the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal (Nepal), and JCB International (JCBI), the international operations subsidiary of JCB, the only global payment brand based in Japan, today announce that HBL and JCBI have signed an issuing and acquiring license agreement. Through this agreement, JCB cardmembers will be able to use JCB credit cards at approximately 1,200 HBL merchants and ATMs starting this fall, and HBL will be the first to issue JCB cards in Nepal which is scheduled in the next year.
“Being chosen as the Licensee of JCB for Nepal is an enormous honor for the bank.”, said Mr. Ashoke SJB Rana, CEO of Himalayan Bank Ltd. in a launching ceremony. “I cannot deny that as we went through the vetting process we were very apprehensive of the thorough due diligence carried out by the JCB team to assess whether they had chosen the right partner. I think in the end they have made the right decision.”
Mr. Koremitsu Sannomiya , President of JCBI, said, "We see Nepal as one of the important market for JCBI in terms of JCB card acceptance. In order to enhance the JCB merchant network, I am extremely pleased that HBL, one of the major commercial banks in Nepal, will start facilitating JCB card acceptance at their merchants starting this fall followed by JCB card issuance starting next year. I believe this will further increase the level of cardmember convenience throughout Nepal.”
JCB entered this partnership with the aim of increasing convenience for over 69 million JCB cardmembers largely based in Japan, China, Korea, Taiwan and other Asian countries who travel to Nepal. In the light of “Nepal Tourism Year 2011”, the nation’s initiative to promote its tourism sector, HBL aims to enhance services for its merchants by enabling them to attract customers traveling in Nepal with JCB cards. This will be the beginning of a new era for JCB expansion in South Asia, where there are many countries with fast-growing economies.
About Himalayan Bank Limited
Himalayan Bank Limited (HBL) is a private sector commercial bank incorporated in 1993. HBL stands ahead in meeting customer demands through its continuous effort of tying banking products with world class technology. It is the first Bank in the country to introduce HBL Proprietary Credit Card and start international credit card issuing, acquiring business and ATM service. Moreover, it is the pioneer financial institution to start acquiring business of EMV Cards and introduce chip based EMV compliant plastic cards in the country. At present, total customer base of HBL is above 250,000 individuals & institutions and out of this more than 123,000 are availing variety of card services. For more information visit:www.himalayanbank.com |
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