Business news

MINSK, 16 January (BelTA) – Belinvestbank is the first Belarusian bank to accept cards of one of the largest international payment systems JCB, the Belinvestbank press service told BelTA.

On 16 January JCB International and Belinvestbank announced that the Belarusian bank’s acquiring network now accepts JCB cards. JCB cards are issued in 23 countries and are used by over 105 million people. In Belarus JCB card holders will be able to get cash in 500 ATMs and make purchases in Belinvestbank’s acquiring network, which comprises over 7,300 retailers and service providers.

Belinvestbank Chairman of the Board Andrei Brishtelev stressed that Belinvestbank will help JCB card holders feel comfortable in Belarus. “We are also going to offer more opportunities to holders of the cards issued by the Russian national payment system Mir. Belinvestbank’s acquiring network will accept Mir-JCB cobranded cards. Their holders will no longer have to exchange foreign currency for Belarusian cash. Thus, our guests will have more time to spend on getting familiar with the country, seeing things and learning about the country as much as possible. ”

JCB International Eurasia CEO Takashi Suetsugu and JCB International Executive Vice President, head of the division in charge of business development in Russia, CIS, and South Asia Yuichiro Kadowaki arrived in Minsk to test and launch the JCB payment system. Upon arrival they could use their JCB cards in the Minsk National Airport.

Takashi Suetsugu said: “We are glad that JCB and Belinvestbank have launched a joint project today. In February 2017 Belarus launched a visa-free travel program for citizens of 80 countries, who are now allowed to stay in Belarus for up to five days without visas. Japan, China, and Korea are some of those countries. JCB cards are popular over there. The ability to use JCB cards in Belarus is also very important for our projects in Russia where JCB cards and Mir-JCB cobranded cards have been issued since 2015 and where Belarus is one of the key destinations for business and tourism travels.”

The public joint-stock company (OAO) Belinvestbank is one of the largest finance and credit institutions in Belarus. For many years Belinvestbank has been in the country’s top six banks in terms of the volume of assets, credit operations, settlement operations, and customer deposits. Belinvestbank boasts one of the largest regional chains (about 130 outlets) and is one of the largest bank card issuers in the country. A program to improve the bank’s effectiveness was launched in 2015 with assistance of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.