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ACLEDA Bank Launches WeChat Pay for Chinese Travelers to Pay Visa on Arrival Fees

December 23, 2024

NETSTARS Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Tsuyoshi Ri; hereinafter, "NETSTARS") is pleased to announce the launch of WeChat Pay acceptance for Cambodia's Visa Arrival Fee Collection, together with Cambodia's leading commercial bank ACLEDA Bank Plc. and WeChat Pay TENCENT, through ACLEDA Bank's E-payment using NETSTARS' International Payment Solution "StarPay".

Chinese travelers applying for Cambodia's Visa on Arrival at counters of International Airports in Cambodia can make payment of Visa Arrival Fee using WeChat Pay via Visa on Arrival at international airports of Cambodia quickly.

The international travelers who complete the hard copy of visa application form and apply for visa on arrival at any international airport's counter in Cambodia are able to make the visa fee payment via ACLEDA Bank's digital payment services and POS terminals by scanning QR or tapping any card including VISA, Mastercard, UnionPay (UPI), JCB, Diners Club International (DCI), Discover, American Express, all ACLEDA cards, CSS card, WeChat, GLN, KHQR Bakong, Bakong Tourists, etc. or other payment methods.

On Thursday morning, December 19, 2024, the Ministry of Interior of Cambodia launched E-Payment Services (Cambodia Visa on Arrival) for collecting Visa fee from Customers through E-Payment Services and POS Terminals of ACLEDA Bank.

The use of the visa services to enter the Kingdom of Cambodia (Visa on Arrival) developed by the General Department of Immigration of the Ministry of Interior collaborating with other relevant ministries and institutions is a joint achievement of the Royal Government under the wise leadership and long-term vision of Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei HUN MANET, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, in order to attract tourists and investors as defined in the Pentagon strategy and align with the context of the rapidly growing world of technology.

Dr. In Channy, President & Group Managing Director of ACLEDA Bank Plc. said, "We are delighted to be partnered with NETSTARS. This Partnership is obviously crucial for connecting with the development of technology, offering the convenient and quick services to Chinese tourists traveling to Cambodia for getting Visa on Arrival and making the visa fee payment via ACLEDA Bank's digital payment services and POS Terminals by scanning QR or other payment methods.

Tsuyoshi Ri, Representative Director and President of NETSTARS Co.,Ltd. said, "We are pleased to contribute to the economic development of Cambodia through the promotion of cashless payments. Netstars has been supporting mobile payment services for tourists visiting Cambodia, and we are now extending our support to facilitate entry into the country. Moving forward, we will continue to strive to provide comprehensive and multi-faceted support."

WeChat Pay TENCENT, said, 'We are excited to extend our services through this strategic collaboration, making it easier for Chinese tourists to access seamless, secure, and efficient payment solutions while enjoying their travels in Cambodia, further enhancing their overall experience and strengthening our presence in the region."

■ About ACLEDA Bank

ACLEDA Bank has 4 subsidiaries including ACLEDA University of Business Co., Ltd.; ACLEDA Securities Plc.; ACLEDA Bank Lao Ltd.; and ACLEDA MFI Myanmar Co., Ltd. and a representative office in the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. By the end of September 2024, ACLEDA Bank had US$10.40 billion in total assets and US$7.98 billion in total savings deposits with over 4.84 million customers. Currently, ACLEDA Bank had more than 490,000 business partners and 4.2 million ACLEDA mobile subscribers.

■ About NETSTARS

NETSTARS is one of Japan's top payment gateway provider with over 450,000 access points. NETSTARS was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on September 26th, 2023. (TYO: 5590)

Established in 2009, NETSTARS has progressively expanded its payment gateway business. In 2015, it was the first agent to introduce China's QR code payment service "WeChat Pay" to Japan. Since then, NETSTARS has expanded StarPay, a payment solution service that provides stores with integrated implementation and management of various Japanese and international QR code payments and other cashless payment services. At present, using StarPay's technological capabilities as a foundation, NETSTARS is working on further development of diversified services.

NETSTARS' "StarPay" is an international gateway solution for various Japanese and international QR code payment service, providing support for over 50 brands domestically in Japan. In addition, StarPay also supports overseas payment apps such as China's widely-used "WeChat Pay" and "Alipay/Alipay+", as well as services from Southeast Asia, South Korea, and other regions.

■ About WeChat Pay

Officially known as Weixin Pay. Launched in January 2011, Weixin is one the most popular social platforms in China and empowers users in fun and dynamic ways, bringing together messaging, infotainment and payment in one seamless, interactive experience. Weixin provides a central point of control for users to create and share content as well as for merchants to engage with and grow their community through Channels, Moments, Official Accounts, Mini Programs and Pay. As of June 2024, the combined monthly active user number of Weixin and its international version WeChat exceeded 1.37 billion.