Hanoi, March 12, 2015 – Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam JSC (“BIDV”), a major commercial bank in Vietnam, and JCB International Co., Ltd. (“JCBI”), the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., today announced that BIDV has started accepting JCB card in Vietnam. BIDV becomes JCBI’s 10th partner financial institution and provides card acceptance at their 15,000 accepting locations to all JCB card members issued in Vietnam as well as 16 other countries out of Vietnam.

BIDV is one of the leading retail banks in Vietnam. In card business, BIDV owns a wide network of about 14,000 POS and nearly 1,500 ATM. So far, BIDV has issued more than 8.8 million debit and credit cards. BIDV’s retail banking in general as well as in card business in several years made remarkable progress with larger retail customer base and greater contribution to total income. Its high quality service and products are widely recognized. Recently, BIDV has been recognized as the “Best Retail Bank in Vietnam for 2014” by the Asian Banker, one of the most prestigious magazines for the finance and banking sector in the world.

​JCBI has been continuously increasing its presence since starting its business in Vietnam in 1991. Currently, more than 200,000 cards have been issued to residents in Vietnam. The partnership with BIDV will further enhance the acceptance of JCB cards at merchants across Vietnam benefiting JCB card-members visiting the region as well as local JCB card members.

 At the press conference held today, Senior Executive Vice President of BIDV, Quach Hung Hiep said, “I am very excited that BIDV and JCBI finally launch the acceptance of JCB cards after all the efforts that both parties have made. We have recently seen increasing payment card usage by both local and foreign people, and we are expecting the same for JCB. We are very happy to offer our merchants throughout Vietnam the ability to accept JCB cards.”

 Kimihisa Imada, Deputy President of JCBI, said, “To launch the acceptance of JCB cards at BIDV merchants is one of the big milestones for our business in Vietnam because BIDV has a big share in the payment industry. Now, JCBI and all top 4 banks have partnerships and JCB card acceptance covers almost all the merchants in Vietnam. Vietnam with the population of 90 million and stable economic growth rate is one of the strategic markets in Asia. Wider acceptance of JCB cards encourages our issuing business and leads to more transactions. I would like to cooperate with BIDV in issuing business as the next step.”

 About BIDV

 As a long-established bank, BIDV has acted the key role in Vietnam in banking including payment service, insurance, stock and financial investments since 1957. With more than 19,000 officers, employees and financial consultants who are well-qualified and well-trained with full experience, BIDV is a very well expanded bank with 127 branches and 584 transaction offices, thousands of ATMs and POS, and subsidiary companies in securities and insurance operating in 63 provinces and cities nationwide. Moreover, BIDV expands business to international markets such as Laos, Myanmar, Russia, Cambodia, Singapore, Hong Kong and US. BIDV is always the choice and the trust for economic organizations, the leading enterprises of both countries and individuals in accessing the financial and banking services. Its outstanding business result was commended in many awards such as Asiamoney, International Banker and more.

For more information, please visit:  www.bidv.com.vn

About JCB

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit 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 over 27 million merchants and over a million cash advance locations in 190 countries and territories. JCB cards are now issued in 17 countries and territories, with about 87 million card members. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with more than 350 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, visit: www.jcbcorporate.com/english

Note: JCB statistics included in “About JCB” are as of the end of September 2014.