SHANGHAI, China, May 13, 2016 (Antara/Xinhua-AsiaNet) --
On May 11, UnionPay International and ANZ jointly announced in Fiji that UnionPay cards (card number starting with 62) will be accepted by all ANZ ATMs and POS terminals across 9 South Pacific island countries. UnionPay chip cards will be accepted for the first time in these countries. Cai Jianbo, CEO of UnionPay International, and Saud Minam, ANZ Country Manager in Fiji, attended the signing ceremony. Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum, Fiji's Attorney General and Finance Minister, Faiyaz Siddiq Koya, Fiji's Industrial Trade and Tourism Minister, Yolinda Chan, China Trade Commissioner of Fiji's Ministry of Trade, and Truman Bradley, Chairman of Tourism Fiji were present with congratulations.
ANZ is UnionPay International's important partner in Asia Pacific. In April, 2014, the two sides signed a cooperation agreement in the presence of government leaders of both countries. Thereafter, ANZ has enabled UnionPay card acceptance at over 80,000 POS terminals and over 2,000 ATMs in Australia. This January, ANZ enabled its ATMs and merchants in New Zealand to accept UnionPay cards. Now, cooperation is expanded to 9 South Pacific countries including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and East Timor.
Through the cooperation, UnionPay's acceptance coverage in Fiji and Papua New Guinea will significantly increase to over 90%. Meanwhile, this is UnionPay's debut in Kiribati and East Timor, while merchants in Samoa, Solomon Islands and Cook Islands will be able to accept UnionPay cards for the first time. Next, ANZ will enable its ATMs in Cambodia and Vietnam to accept UnionPay cards.
Cai Jianbo said, South Pacific island countries are an important part of the "21st Century Maritime Silk Road". UnionPay International is improving the local UnionPay's acceptance environment to provide convenient payment service for UnionPay cardholders visiting the region. This cooperation will not only improve UnionPay's acceptance footprint and card-using experience in the region, but also lay a solid foundation for local card issuance, which will provide new payment options for local residents.
Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa are identified at China Pacific Forum as important tourist destinations in South Pacific. According to Tourism Fiji, 40,000 Chinese tourists visited Fiji in 2015, with year-on-year growth of 40%. UnionPay International is increasing its cooperation with mainstream institutions to continuously improve its acceptance environment in the region.
For more information: http://www.unionpayintl.com/
Source: UnionPay International
Reporter: PR Wire
Editor: PR Wire
Copyright © ANTARA 2016
