JCB Card launches in Yakuitia

Joint-stock bank Almazergienbank, one of the major regional banks in the Russian Far East and JCB International, the international operations subsidiary of credit card company JCB Co. Ltd, announced the launch of JCB card issuance and acceptance in Yakutia.

JCBI and Almazergienbank signed an agreement on acquiring and issuing in the spring of 2016, and project preparation entered the final stage recently. Almazergienbank started issuing JCB cards and accepting JCB cards at Almazergienbank's ATMs and POS terminals in June 2017. Almazergienbank issues JCB Standard and JCB Gold grade cards.

Chairman of the board Lyudmila Nikolaeva pointed out: “For Almazergienbank, cooperation with our Japanese partner is highly promising in terms of both commercial and international relations. We believe our cooperation will strengthen existing and create new mutually beneficial economic relations between our countries. We are pleased that Almazergienbank as a regional bank representing Yakutia was honoured to become one of the first bridges between Japan and Russia.”

Almazergienbank is the third in Russia to issue JCB cards.

Takashi Suetsugu, general director of JCB International (Eurasia) said: “We are seeing high potential in developing the cooperation with Almazergienbank since it is one of the leading banking organizations in the Far East of Russia, serving one third of the population of the Sakha republic. We are positive that implementation of JCB card acceptance in both point of sale and ATM network will support expansion and enhancement of banking services and will contribute to developing inbound tourism to the region. Yakutia is a unique region, which has huge natural wealth, multinational culture, dynamics of growth and latest technologies. Both Russian and non-Russian JCB cardmembers coming to Yakutia on business or travelling as tourists will be able to pay for goods and services with an accustomed and convenient tool.”

JCB was founded in Japan in 1961, and it is now one of the leading payment brands in the world, with more than 105 million cardmembers and more than 33 million merchants accepting the JCB brand card around the world.