JCB International Co., Ltd., the international operations subsidiary of JCB Co., Ltd. (JCB), announced its partnership with FrenchSys, a subsidiary of CB-Investissements (CBI), to facilitate a greater JCB certification process for payment terminals across France. This alliance helps banks, terminal manufacturers, and merchant partners to accept JCB Cards through an integrated certification process, hosted by FrenchSys.

This partnership means that French acquirers do not need to perform an additional Level 3 certification for terminals to accept contact and contactless payments from JCB cardmembers. This agreement applies to all payment terminals that comply with FrenchSys-defined FRv6 and nexo standards, which integrate the latest payment innovations, such as online PIN, and can work with all national and international card schemes present in France.

This new terminal certification process has started, and the partnership will benefit acquirers, merchant partners and cardmembers alike. The collaboration streamlines payment terminal setup, giving merchant partners a competitive edge by welcoming JCB’s over 154 million cardmembers to use cards in their stores. 

The partnership between FrenchSys and JCB is a long-anticipated development. With the return of post-COVID tourism and major cultural and sporting events on the horizon, the acceptance of JCB payments will be a welcome opportunity to drive up incremental revenue for French merchant partners and their payment service providers. 

Ray Shinzawa, Managing Director, JCB International (Europe) Ltd., said: “The growth of our partner network is great news, and we are thrilled to announce our partnership with FrenchSys. This development will allow our valuable cardmembers to use their JCB Cards more widely throughout France, which is fantastic news for them and the merchant partners who serve them. We look forward to seeing the positive impact this partnership will have in the French payments industry”.

Cédric Sarazin, Managing Director, FrenchSys, added: “FrenchSys was established in 2019 to facilitate the acceptance of multi-scheme payments in France, serving acquirers, card schemes, manufacturers, and digital payment processors. The partnership between FrenchSys and JCB has been eagerly awaited by the financial services industry, as it will enable the seamless processing of JCB payments, without additional processes or costs being passed on to the merchant. This in turn means that JCB-accepting merchants can now tap into a lucrative market of global consumers, especially from Asia, making their time in France more convenient and enjoyable.”

For the certification and approval of payment terminals in France for JCB Cards, manufacturers of payment terminals or developers of integrated payment solutions can contact FrenchSys or its sister company Elitt, which is responsible for terminal testing, for more information.