UnionPay International has added close to 15,000 merchants to its network through its latest partnership with ASB Bank Limited (ASB). Local cardholders can now use their UnionPay card to pay at ASB acquired POS terminals across the country, increasing UnionPay's network to 81,000 merchants across the country. One of the major banks in New Zealand, ASB employs more than 5,000 people, and provides a range of financial services to its more than 1.2 million customers. It also supports payment acceptance for a large portion of New Zealand business. "At ASB, we pride ourselves on offering a wide range of payment options for our customers so they can choose to pay how they like, and partnering with UnionPay is another way for us to do that," says ASB GM Global Transaction Banking Greg Beehre. "We're looking forward to the opportunities this partnership will provide for our customers." UnionPay International provides high quality, cost effective and secure payment services to the world's largest cardholder base, with an increasing number of New Zealand consumers and businesses joining the network every day. Dr Jian Jiangtao, UnionPay International South Pacific region representative, says the company's success is due to the exclusive value and opportunity it presents to partners and consumers alike. "Partnering with ASB provides a range of unique opportunities for New Zealand businesses, including access to UnionPay cardholders from around the world, particularly for local residents and international students that are based in New Zealand." The partnership with ASB means UnionPay acceptance via POS terminals has increased to 90%, meaning UnionPay cardholders can enjoy their shopping experience at the majority of merchants. It also increases UnionPay's QuickPass (NFC/contactless payments) acceptance base in the New Zealand market to almost 65%. "We welcome ASB into the UnionPay payment network, and we're excited to team up with them to help us improve UnionPay's acceptance coverage," Dr Jian said. About UnionPay International UnionPay International (UPI) is a subsidiary of China UnionPay, focused on the growth and support of UnionPay's global business. In partnership with more than 2300 institutions worldwide, UnionPay International has enabled card acceptance in 179 countries and regions with issuance in 61 countries and regions. UnionPay International provides high quality, cost effective and secure cross-border payment services to the world's largest cardholder base and ensures convenient local services to a growing number of global UnionPay cardholders and merchants. In New Zealand, UnionPay has partnered with more than 81,000 merchants, with 90% of ATMs and 90% of POS accepting UnionPay cards. Among the merchants UnionPay has collaborated with, about 47,000 POS terminals accept UnionPay QuickPass, and more than 1500 E-commerce websites accept UnionPay online payment. SOURCE: UnionPay International