The GBIC is operating the leading German debit card system "girocard" and unifies the five associations of the German banking industry. It is also a member of Euro Alliance of Payment Schemes. JCBI is the subsidiary company of JCB in charge of international business, and the only global payment brand based in Japan. Aiming for a launch in 2012, JCB as well as banks and savings banks in Germany will begin to develop card products with functions and services targeting the German consumers and in compliance with the European SEPA Cards Framework.

Since 1981, JCB and JCBI have been expanding JCB card acceptance across Europe to increase convenience for JCB cardmembers. JCB is accepted at 18 million merchants worldwide, of which a few million merchants are in Europe developed by alliances with European partner banks and financial institutions for merchant acquiring. By partnering with JCBI, GBIC expands girocard's product line and offers JCB as an additional international acceptance brand for its customers. Hans-Joachim Massenberg, Member of the Managing Board of Directors of the Association of German Banks, emphasizes as this year's Central Coordinator of GBIC: "This new cooperation is taking the German girocard again a step further towards an international acceptance. The brand selection is extended by adding JCB. We are convinced that this alliance will enable us to provide issuers of girocard cards with additional options and to create a new product benefit. girocard is consolidating its position as one of the leading debit card systems in the world."

Germany provides the number one outbound traveler volume in Europe with more than 51 million travelers in 2009 (according to the World Tourism Organization Year Book 2010). GBIC being one of the leaders in the debit card industry in the European market with more than 90 million girocards issued in Germany, JCB expects to increase brand presence significantly in the region. "I believe this alliance is one of the remarkable steps in strengthening JCB's position as an international payment brand in the region and in expanding acceptance as well as cardmember base," said Mr.Kimihisa Imada, Deputy President of JCBI. "We expect to expand the issuance of JCB and girocard co-badged cards in the near future with girocard and other partners in Europe and to expand merchant acceptance in parallel. This alliance not only benefits girocard and JCB, but also provides tremendous value to JCB business partners with bigger transaction volumes generated by German cardmembers."

JCB is looking forward to building new alliances with leading banks and business partners to further expand the JCB cardmember base and card acceptance network across Europe, providing better convenience and service to JCB customers around the world.