Holders of automated teller machine (ATM) cards issued by some Taiwanese banks are now able to withdraw Japanese yen from all ATMs in Circle K Sunkus Co Ltd convenience stores in Japan, Financial Information Service Co (FISC, 財金資訊公司) said yesterday.
FISC, which is owned by the Ministry of Finance and a group of local financial institutions, said that holders of ATM cards issued by 20 Taiwanese banks who travel to Japan gained access to financial services from more than 4,000 ATMs at Circle K stores across Japan starting on Oct. 1.
The 20 Taiwanese banks include Bank of Taiwan (台灣銀行), Land Bank of Taiwan (土地銀行), Cooperative Bank of Taiwan (合作金庫), First Commercial Bank (第一銀行), Hua Nan Commercial Bank (華南銀行) and Chang Hua Commercial Bank (彰化銀行).
The 20 Taiwanese banks have issued more than 52.8 million ATM cards, FISC said.
FISC said that to meet growing demand from Taiwanese consumers, many of whom consider Japan a favorite travel destination, the company is also on the verge of reaching an agreement with Japanese merchants to allow Taiwanese tourists to use the debit card function on their ATM cards to make purchases in Japan, beginning in the second half of next year.
Holders of ATM cards issued in Taiwan can already use their debit cards in stores in Hokkaido.
FISC said it is working to extend debit card services to about 20,000 Japanese merchants by 2020.
In addition to Japan, FISC said that Taiwanese ATM card holders are expected to be able to withdraw Hong Kong dollars and Macau patacas from December when they travel to the two territories.
FISC said that it has been pushing for the provision of similar financial services in Singapore, South Korea and Thailand.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Singapore-based ride-hailing and delivery giant Grab Holdings Ltd has applied for regulatory approval to acquire the Taiwan operations of Germany-based Delivery Hero SE's Foodpanda in a deal valued at about US$600 million. Grab submitted the filing to the Fair Trade Commission on Friday last week, with the transaction subject to regulatory review and approval, the company said in a statement yesterday. Its independent governance structure would help foster a healthy and competitive market in Taiwan if the deal is approved, Grab said. Grab, which is listed on the NASDAQ, said in the filing that US-based Uber Technologies Inc holds about 13 percent of
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday received government approval to deploy its advanced 3-nanometer (3nm) process at its second fab currently under construction in Japan, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said in a news release. The ministry green-lit the plan for the facility in Kumamoto, which is scheduled to start installing equipment and come online in 2028 with a monthly production capacity of 15,000 12-inch wafers, the ministry said. The Department of Investment Review in June 2024 authorized a US$5.26 billion investment for the facility, slated to manufacture 6- to 12nm chips, significantly less advanced than 3nm process. At a meeting with
RSS