The rise of cashless payments and e-commerce transactions has led to an increase in credit card fraud in Japan, with over 90%* of the total damage from such incidents tied to payment card data theft. In response, JCB has introduced its COF tokenization.

COF refers to payment details such as card numbers and expiration dates which are stored by merchants with cardholders' consent. JCB’s COF tokenization service replaces the JCB-branded COF data with an anonymized secure number (hereinafter “network token”). Sensitive card information is tokenized and not stored in the merchant's database, thereby reducing the risk of data breaches, and the network token is used to identify the customer for secure payment.

In addition to reducing the risk of data breaches, tokenization offers increased convenience to customers. The COF token mechanism ensures that the token is always associated with the latest card information. This eliminates the need for the customer to update their card information, facilitating a smooth payment process and improving the transaction authorization rates.

Tac Watanabe, Executive Officer and Head of Brand Infrastructure Headquarters at JCB, said: “E-commerce transactions are growing rapidly, and alongside this growth, fraudulent transactions due to card information breaches are also increasing. In response to this trend, it is important to reduce the risk associated with data breaches through COF tokenization and improve our customers' payment experience by keeping card information up to date. We are pleased to take the first step in this area through our collaboration with Adyen, a pioneer in the COF solution. Moving forward, we plan to actively implement COF tokens globally.”

Roelant Prins, Chief Commercial Officer at Adyen, said: "We are delighted to announce our collaboration with JCB in launching their COF token services both in Japan and globally, further enhancing the security and convenience for JCB cardholders and keeping pace with the projected growth of the e-commerce industry. We are committed to making tokenization technology available across various payment platforms, including mobile payments, to significantly enhance security for customers and increase authorization rates."

*Source: Japan Consumer Credit Association (JCA)
https://www.j-credit.or.jp/information/statistics/download/toukei_03_g.pdf

About Adyen

Adyen (AMS: ADYEN) is the financial technology platform of choice for leading companies. By providing end-to-end payments capabilities, data-driven insights, and financial products in a single global solution, Adyen helps businesses achieve their ambitions faster. With offices around the world, Adyen works with the likes of Meta, Uber, H&M, eBay, and Microsoft. The cooperation with JCB Co., Ltd. as described in this update underlines Adyen’s continuous expansion of supported payment methods over the years.

About JCB

JCB is a major global payment brand and a leading credit card issuer and acquirer in Japan. JCB launched its card business in Japan in 1961 and began expanding worldwide in 1981. Its acceptance network includes about 56 million merchants around the world. JCB Cards are now issued mainly in Asian countries and territories, with more than 169 million cardmembers. As part of its international growth strategy, JCB has formed alliances with hundreds of leading banks and financial institutions globally to increase its merchant coverage and cardmember base. As a comprehensive payment solution provider, JCB commits to providing responsive and high-quality service and products to all customers worldwide. For more information, please visit: www.global.jcb/en/

Contact Information

JCB (Head Office in Japan)
Anna Takeda
Corporate Communications
Email: jcb-pr@info.jcb.co.jp

Allison and Partners K.K. (Adyen Japan’s PR agency)
E-mail: adyenjapanpr@allisonworldwide.com