Citibank and JCB International expand card alliance
Citibank and Japan Credit Bureau International (JCBI), the international operations subsidiary of JCB, will extend their card partnership in Asia by adding JCB credit card merchants in nine countries and territories in the region. JCB cardholders will be able to use their cards at Citibank’s physical and e-commerce merchant base in Asia.
“Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan are some of the most important markets for JCB because of the strong growth and increased retail spending,” said Kimihisa Imada, deputy president at JCBI.
The JCB card will be accepted at Citibank merchants in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam within 18 months.
ING Bank to strengthen cross-border commercial banking services
ING Bank has launched an international business client desk (IBCD) in Shanghai and Hong Kong for Greater China to provide enhanced commercial banking services for its multinational and local corporate clients that are looking to expand cross-border.
“Cross-border activities represent a fast growing contribution to ING’s business over the past few years, with Asia emerging from the global economic crisis as a key growth region,” said Vaughn Richtor, chief executive of ING Bank Asia, in a statement. “The formation of IBCD addresses the booming business needs from our European clients as they grow their business in this region, as well as Asian corporations looking to develop a more international footprint in other parts of the world.”
In addition, ING Bank appointed Jean Charles Casier as IBCD manager based in Hong Kong. He joins the bank from the Bank of Beijing where he was the general manager of distribution for retail banking. He reports to Piter de Jong, head of IBCD for Greater China and branch manager for ING Bank based in Shanghai.
Bank of Fushun selects core banking solution from FIS
China’s Bank of Fushun has implementing a core banking solution from banking and payments technology provider, FIS. The solution, eCAS2, will help support the bank’s expansion plans and enhance its customer service capabilities.
“City commercial banks in China are adding branches as they expand beyond their home cities. But some have been held back by aging bank systems unable to meet the demands of cross-regional operations in terms of system architecture, processing capabilities, scalability and business scope,” said Bi Guojun, chairman of the board and president at Bank of Fushun, in a statement. “A bank that does not have an enabling technology platform has lost the game before it even starts.”
Bank of Fushun is based in Liaoning province in Northeast China. The solution from FIS will provide support for the bank’s deposits, loans, payments, card, treasury, intermediary and settlement and wealth management businesses.
