JCB and NTT Com to demonstrate multifunctional mobile wallet app

[08 October 2020] - JCB Co., Ltd., Japan's only international payment brand, and NTT Communications Corporation (NTT Com), the ICT solutions and international communications business within the NTT Group, announced today that they will conduct a demonstration test for JCB Mobile Wallet (tentative name), a one-of-a-kind feature¹ that guarantees the original foreign currency exchange rates for a certain period. JCB and NTT Com personnel will participate in the test, which will be conducted until the end of November, prior to the scheduled launch of commercial services in Japan and other Asian markets next year.

The multifunctional app, which enables users to instantly create JCB brand virtual prepaid cards, provides a range of useful services, including cashless payments, mobile remittances, account settings and map-based searches for JCB merchants, for the convenience of international students, businesspeople and international residents in Japan. Features include:

• Multi-Currency
  Users can exchange home currency to 22 other currencies, with the choice of either a real-time rate or a guaranteed period rate. Guaranteed period rates are a one-of-a-kind feature. Any currency not used within fourteen days is exchanged back at the original rate.
• Multi-Account
  Multiple sub-accounts are offered for families and businesses. For example, a parent could charge up the sub-account of a child studying abroad with money whenever needed, 24/7. For corporate accounts, companies can easily manage the balance of sub-accounts when employees travel overseas on business.
• Multi-Service
  Many useful services are bundled with the app, such as reserving restaurants and taxis.

JCB Mobile Wallet (tentative name)

The demonstration will be used to confirm the functionality and practicality of the app's user interface and user experience for various functions and services developed by JCB and NTT Com. It will also test NTT Com's system for the Home Currency Anywhere®², which manages rate-guaranteed foreign currency information³ comprehensively and quickly by leveraging NTT Com's API Gateway as a Service⁴ to centrally manage the APIs of Home Currency Anywhere® and other services.

The new app will be compatible with mobile contactless payment systems and other payment environments in many countries and regions using Near Field Communication⁵, QR codes and linkage to credit cards.

In the future, expanded functionality will be realized through the planned incorporation of NTT Com's Wallet Exchange®⁶ service to enable online transfer and management of electronic money in various currencies. Also, the measures will be incorporated to ensure that JCB Mobile Wallet offers robust security for customer transactions.

¹ According to research by JCB and NTT Com.

² Home Currency Anywhere® is a service provided by NTT Com that distributes information about rate-guaranteed foreign exchanges and transactions through a secure environment. Foreign exchange rates guaranteed for a certain period of time enable end users, such as travelers, businesspeople and overseas residents, to exchange currencies without having to worry about fluctuating rates. Please see https://www.ntt.com/en/about-us/press-releases/news/article/2019/1112.html.

³ Foreign currency exchange based on foreign exchange rates will be carried out by NTT Com's partner company M-DAQ Pte. LTD. Please see https://www.m-daq.com/.

⁴ API Gateway as a Service centrally manages API connections with other services for quick and easy deployment across API connections and data formats of each service. Please see https://www.ntt.com/en/about-us/press-releases/news/article/2017/0614.html.

⁵ Near Field Communications (NFC) is an international standard wireless communication technology, defined by ISO as a non-contact IC card interface standard, for wireless connection with NFC-equipped mobile phones or NFC-compatible credit cards over short distances of a few centimeters.

⁶ Wallet Exchange® is an NTT Com online service that uses Home Currency Anywhere® to charge electronic money accounts with various currencies. A user can convert their electronic money from home currency into foreign-currency in overseas travel destinations, and later can reconvert any unused e-money back into the home currency at the original rate within 14 days.