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Merchant Solutions Private Ltd. has signed a merchant-acquiring agreement with Japan-based card network JCB International, Merchant Solutions announced yesterday. Merchant Solutions is a joint venture between United States-based First Data Corp. and United Kingdom-based Standard Chartered Bank. The company recently signed a similar merchant-acquiring agreement with China UnionPay (CardLine Global, 4 June). Under the agreement with JCB, Merchant Solutions will acquire merchants for JCB in eight markets in Asia. This will enable JCB cardholders to use their cards to make purchases in Hong Kong, Macau, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Merchant Solutions says. Japanese visitors to other parts of Asia exceeded 13 million in 2007, according to the Japan National Tourist Organisation. According to Merchant Solutions, more than half of that number travelled to countries covered by the new arrangement between Merchant Solutions and JCB. JCB International is a wholly owned subsidiary of JCB Co. Ltd., a major card issuer and acquirer in Japan. The companies did not respond to CardLine Global requests for comment.
