Advanced Bank of Asia Ltd (ABA Bank) and JCB International Co., Ltd.on Tuesday signed a licence agreement and announced the launch of JCB payment acceptance in Cambodia.

JCB International is the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd. – Japan’s only international payment brand – while ABA Bank is the digital banking leader in Cambodia and a subsidiary of National Bank of Canada.

The partnership will enable JCB Cards to be used with ABA's merchant network across the Kingdom, which will provide greater convenience to JCB cardholders. JCB has been expanding the issuing business in ASEAN countries including Cambodia.

JCB and ABA plan to expand the partnership to all ABA merchants, including with acceptance at PayWay online payment platforms and ATMs by the end of the year.

Askhat Azhikhanov, the CEO of ABA Bank, said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with JCB, one of the world leaders in payment services.

"Under the agreement, ABA merchants and JCB cardholders will be able to broaden their payment opportunities through our extensive networks across the country.

"Witnessing the solid economic and business ties of Cambodia and Japan, we believe that this cooperation will bring benefit to Japanese businesses and individuals in the Kingdom, and will enhance the efficacy of the Cambodian payments industry.”

Yoshiki Kaneko, the president and COO of JCB International Co., Ltd. said: "We are honoured to announce this partnership with ABA.

"The acceptance of JCB Cards in ABA merchants will increase convenience for our customers both inside and outside of Cambodia.

"I believe that this partnership will contribute to the further growth of digitalisation in this highly potential market, and I hope to seek further business opportunities with ABA.”

About ABA

ABA Bank is Cambodia's leading financial institution, founded in 1996. With 79 branches, 379 ATMs, 2,498 POS terminals, 344 self-banking machines across the country and advanced online banking platforms, ABA Bank reaches out to more than 1.7 million customers across multiple segments including individuals, microbusinesses and SMEs with an array of modern financial services.

For more information, visit www.ababank.com.

ABA is a subsidiary of National Bank of Canada, a financial institution with around US$274 billion as of April 30.

Headquartered in Montreal, it has branches in almost every Canadian province, with 2.7 million personal clients.

It is the sixth largest bank in Canada and the leading bank in Quebec, where it is the partner of choice among SMEs.

For more information, visit www.nbc.ca.

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 around 36 million merchants across the world.

JCB Cards are currently issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 140 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base.

As a comprehensive payment solutions provider, JCB is committed to providing responsive and high-quality services and products to all customers worldwide.

For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/.