BCEL-JCB Credit Card To Be Launched

Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao to launch BCEL-JCB credit card in Laos
By:  Asian Banker, May 26 2015

Vientiane, Laos and Tokyo, Japan - Banque Pour Le Commerce Exterieur Lao Public (BCEL) and JCB International Co., Ltd. (JCBI), the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd., have announced to launch BCEL-JCB Credit Card in Lao People's Democratic Republic (Laos).

BCEL-JCB Credit Card can be used at about 29 million POS using JCB acceptance network and there are many more privileges that BCEL-JCB Credit Card members will enjoy at more than 100 merchants in Laos, and also can have advantage and special offers at around 2,300 JCB merchants worldwide as well as the exclusive JCB Plaza Lounges located in popular destinations including Singapore, Hong Kong and Paris.

Photo Credit:  BCEL

BCEL is one of the leading commercial banks in Laos established in 1975. BCEL continued to grow and strengthen gradually in various fields including the size of assets, deposits, loans and the number of clients. The bank has 19 branches, 65 service units (outlets), and 11 foreign exchangers nationwide. JCB cards are today issued in 19 countries with about 90 million cardmembers and accepted at about 29 million merchants in 190 countries and territories around the world. JCBI and BCEL have had a partnership since 2013 for merchant acquiring to expand JCB card acceptance. With this launch, BCEL is the second bank to issue JCB cards in Laos.

Phansana Khounnouvong - Deputy Managing Director of BCEL stated, "This project of BCEL-JCB Cards has the objective to widen the choices of products that can offer our customers with efficiency and convenience in terms of smarter payment in their daily lives, which will also come with reduction in cash transaction and with higher security. The primary target customers include those who are interested or desire to hold a credit card. We believe that this product will help widen our customer base and secure our position as the leader in credit card product in Lao market in long term. BCEL are always aware of the quality and high profile of JCB which is also accepted internationally. And it is our privilege to partner with JCBI in this project which results from our agreement on June 23 2014."

Kimihisa Imada, Deputy President of JCBI said: "The start of issuing with BCEL, the leading bank in Laos, will be a great opportunity for JCB card business in Laos. In JCB's global expansion strategy, our current focus is the Mekong region because of its growing economy and the potential growth of the card payment market. Laos is located in the center of the region and shares borders with all of the other Mekong countries. The card market in Laos has great potential and I believe this market will rapidly expand in the next few years. With the cooperation of BCEL we would like to accelerate the card market, showing the people in Laos the advantages and benefits of using the BCEL-JCB card."