Chinese Social Media Giant Xiaohongshu Eyes Hong Kong IPO at Over $70 Billion Valuation 
Oil Prices Ease as Markets Weigh U.S.-Iran Peace Deal and Strait of Hormuz Reopening 
Oil Prices Recover Slightly as U.S. Crude Inventories Fall, But Iran Deal Caps Gains 
ASX Proposes New Share Dilution Limits for Public Takeovers 
BOJ Raises Interest Rates to 1% as Inflation Pressures Persist 
Trump Administration Delays DeepSeek and CXMT Trade Blacklist Designations Amid U.S.-China Tensions 
Fed Chair Kevin Warsh Signals Policy Overhaul as Hawkish Rate Outlook Rattles Markets 
Kingboard Holdings Shares Surge After HK$11.77 Billion Block Trade to Expand PCB and AI Supply Chain Business 
Samsung Gains Interest from BYD, Google, AMD as AI Chip Demand Strains TSMC Capacity 
Dollar Slips as U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Optimism Boosts Risk Appetite Ahead of Fed Decision 
Oil Prices Drop as U.S.-Iran Peace Deal Eases Supply Concerns 
Asian Currencies Steady as Dollar Holds Firm Ahead of Fed Decision and US-Iran Deal Details 
German Industry Employment Falls to Lowest Level in a Decade 
Asian Stocks Advance as Nikkei Nears Record High Ahead of Fed Decision 
Myanmar Economic Outlook Hit by Fuel Price Shock as World Bank Cuts Growth Forecast 
Australia’s Atlas Arteria Rejects IFM Global’s Increased A$7.4 Billion Takeover Offer 
HSBC Australia Faces A$35M Penalty Over Scam Protection Failures 
BC Card, a financial services company headquartered in Seoul, recently established a joint venture in Kyrgyzstan to make payment processing easier in the country. This is a JV with a local state-run payment provider to provide a unified card payment processing service in the region.
According to The Korea Herald, the joint venture company has been named BC Card Kyrgyzstan (BCKG), and it will be launched in the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, which is Bishkek. The JV will officially start its operations in August and will run through the cooperation of Smartro Korean payment services company and Interbank Processing Center (IPC), a Kyrgyz state-run payment provider.
BCKG's capital is reportedly valued at $11.88 million, and Korea's BC Card holds a 52.55 share in the joint venture company. IPC and Smartro hold the remaining 30% and 17.5% shares, respectively.
Officials said they are setting up the JV in the region to make payments easier once banks and merchants unify their payment terminals. Only three percent of local businesses are equipped to accept card payments as of the last quarter of 2022.
"BCKG will not only drive payment innovation in Kyrgyzstan but also play a pivotal role as a stepping stone for the digital payment transformation in neighboring Central Asian countries with similar cultures and environments," Choi Won Seok, the chief executive officer of BC Card, said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Chosun Business reported that BCKG is the only professional purchaser in Kyrgyzstan. It plans to buy all major licenses from the local authorities and then create a unified payment system. Using BC Card's BAIS global payment solution, the company aims to process an array of simple payments, including QR, NFC, and regular card transactions in Kyrgyzstan.
Photo by: BC Card Website
