Tokyo – March 3, 2020 – TakeMe Pay, a mobile payment service provided by TakeMe Co., Ltd. is launching a service tie-up with Rapyd, the world’s largest payment network operator from London, UK. Through this alliance, TakeMePay will add over 100 Southeast Asian payment methods on top of its existing 20 payment types which consist of international card brands, Japan’s domestic QR payments, and Chinese mobile payments. With “TakeMe Pay”, foreign travelers can easily pay in Japan by simply scanning the QR code with their own mobile phone and use their native payment methods. This will reduce the hassle of exchanging money in Japan and returning home with heavy Japanese coins in the pocket.
In this first phase of integration, the payment methods from six Southeast Asian countries will include mobile banking payments used in Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore, as well as major mobile wallet brands from these countries. The use of Southeast Asian mobile banking payment at offline merchants will be the first in Japan.
TakeMe Pay works with 50,000 merchants across the restaurant, transportation, shopping and hospitality industries, and offers them a simple solution to greatly expand their payment acceptance capabilities and improve the experience of inbound travelers in Japan. By placing a TakeMe Pay QR code in the store, merchants are able to accept multiple payment methods carried by tourists within their mobile phones.
With the upcoming Japan’s Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the Expo Osaka 2025, the development of a global mobile payment infrastructure has become an important issue. Particularly in response to the sudden change in the number of foreign visitors from China seen in recent years in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia, stores are required to incorporate local payment methods from various countries. In addition, research has shown that in order to capture inbound demand, if cashless environments become more accessible, consumption during stay will increase. (Source: VISA/Foreign tourist survey)
Based on this, TakeMe has developed a payment service that can easily accept all payments, especially those of Southeast Asia, where the number of tourists visiting Japan is expected to increase. This addition is expected to increase sales and improve the convenience of domestic and overseas users who visit the stores. In addition, more than 900 payments will be available by the Olympics to accommodate the increasing number of foreign visitors to Japan.
“Japan is known as a major tourism hub, however, Japan is also known a big cash payment country. 80% of retail transactions in Japan is done by cash. This is could be challenging for some of the inbound travelers. We are excited to introduce new payment options, that will eliminate the friction and create a better travel experience for Southeast Asian travelers in Japan. We chose Rapyd because of their inclusive payment methods, wide range of payment partners, and simplicity of integration. But most importantly, we have a bigger vision for TakeMe Pay to grow into an international smartphone payment and O2O service platform, and as we grow internationally, Rapyd will be able to support us as we scale.” – says Lu Dong, CEO of TakeMe Pay.
The newly added payment options will be available on the TakeMe Pay platform immediately.
About TakeMe Co., Ltd.
TakeMe provides international promotion for Japan’s restaurants, multilingual concierge reservation, smartphone order, and smartphone multi-payment services. The Company operates a comprehensive inbound service business that connects stores in Japan to global tourists.
Company Name: TakeMe Co., Ltd.
Location: Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
URL: https://pay.takeme.com/?lang=en
Representative: Lu Dong, CEO
Year incorporated: December 2015
About Rapyd
Rapyd helps businesses create great local commerce experiences anywhere. The world’s most innovative ecommerce, technology firms, and marketplaces utilize our Fintech-as-a-Service platforms – Collect, Disburse, Wallet and Issuing – to seamlessly integrate Fintech and payment capabilities into their applications. By accessing the Rapyd Global Payments Network, businesses can access over 900 locally preferred payment methods including bank transfers, ewallets and cash in more than 100 countries. Now ecommerce, technology firms, and marketplaces can focus on growing new markets and reaching billions of consumers rather than building infrastructure. Investors include Oak HC/FT, Tiger Global, General Catalyst, Stripe, Target Global and others. For more information, visit www.rapyd.net
TakeMe Communications Contact
TakeMe PR Department
Email: info@takeme.com
Tel: +81-3-68697988.
