JCB Strikes Strategic Deal With WLA For Providing JCB Contactless Kernel Specifications To WLA Members

JCB Co., Ltd., a leading global payment scheme, announced that it has signed a strategic agreement with the White Label Alliance (WLA) to provide JCB Contactless Kernel Specifications to WLA members wishing to migrate to the contactless solution.

WLA was founded by IDEMIA, G+D and NXP(R) Semiconductors in response to increasing global demand for the next-generation independent payment solution for domestic and private-label payment schemes. By providing WLA members with an open and comprehensive payment standard covering contact and contactless payment cards, mobile and payment terminal devices, WLA facilitates their migration to new technology.

JCB, agreeing on participating in this initiative with its proven technology, signed an agreement with WLA, allowing WLA members to use JCB Contactless Kernel Specifications and kernels.

JCB Contactless, JCB brand's contactless payment solution that is expanding globally, is fully compliant with EMV(R) standards and supported by most acceptance devices including those of major global terminal suppliers. The arrangement between JCB and WLA thus enables WLA members to further accelerate their contactless migration and shorten time-to-market, by using the existing ready-to-deploy JCB Contactless terminal devices.

"As momentum toward contactless payments is gathering on a global scale, it is becoming critical that the interoperable contactless capability is more accessible so that a wider audience can benefit from the enhanced convenience and security," said Masaki Yokawa, Executive Vice President, Brand Business at JCB Co., Ltd. "By offering our technology to WLA, we are delighted to work with banks, local networks and vendors to enable contactless implementation with less efforts and shorter time-to-market."

"I would like to warmly welcome JCB to WLA on behalf of our founding members, G+D, IDEMIA and NXP." WLA President, Jacques Doucerain said, "We all work together to create a truly independent solution, based on tried and tested technology, with rapid time to market for domestic payment networks, transport operators, private schemes and retailers. Our agreement with JCB will boost our appeal and this unprecedented payment industry initiative. It furthers our original goal to bring about a global independent standard."

EMV(R) is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries and an unregistered trademark elsewhere. The EMV trademark is owned by EMVCo, LLC.

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