JCB International partners with LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2019 as Platinum Sponsor

From left: JCB International Co. Vice President Yo Sato, JCB International Co. Executive Vice President Yuichiro Kadowaki, LankaClear GM/CEO Channa de Silva, and LankaClear Senior Manager Projects Lakshman Liyanage

JCB International, a global payment brand originated in Japan, came on board as the Platinum Sponsor of LankaPay Technnovation Awards 2019.

JCB has come onboard as a sponsor of this annual event for three consecutive years since its inception in 2017, which is Sri Lanka’s first and the only payment technology innovation awards organised by LankaClear, the operator of Sri Lanka’s national payment network.

Earlier this year, LankaClear under the patronage of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka announced the launch of National Card Scheme (NCS) to fulfil a long felt need for a locally-operated card scheme in partnership with JCB. This scheme would offer benefits to card-issuing banks and their merchants alike through substantially lower tariffs, in addition to the possibility of tailoring card products to cater to specific market needs. Transactions carried under this scheme would be far more cost-effective, yet consists of a globally accepted alternative to the existing card schemes operated in the country. 

LankaPay Technnovation Awards is also the only awards competition for the Sri Lanka’s financial sector and this year’s grand finale and award ceremony is scheduled to be held on 7 October at Shangri-La Colombo under the patronage of Digital Infrastructure and Information Technology Minister Ajith P. Perera; State Finance Minister Eran Wickramaratne, and Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Dr. Indrajit Coomaraswamy. One of the main highlights of this year’s LankaPay Technnovation Awards would be the commercial launch of NCS project. This momentous occasion, which signifies one of Japan’s major investments in Sri Lanka in the recent history will be graced by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Sri Lanka Akira Sugiyama.

JCB launched its card business in Japan way back in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 30 million merchants as well as cash advance locations around the world. JCB cards are now issued in 25 countries and territories, including Sri Lanka as the newly launched JCB card-issued country, with more than 130 million card members. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all their customers worldwide.