RIVERWOODS, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The recent purchase at Loewe in Marbella, Spain marked the start of
international acceptance for Troy Global Cards. BKM, Interbank Card
Center of Turkey, established Troy, the first and only Turkish domestic
card scheme, in April 2016. In June 2017, Discover and BKM signed a
strategic agreement to allow acceptance of Troy Global Cards
internationally on the Discover Global Network. The agreement also
provides acceptance for Discover and Diners Club International cards as
well as network alliance cards in Turkey through Troy members.
Along with. Dr. Soner Canko, CEO of BKM and Diane Offereins EVP,
President of Payment Services at Discover, Mr. Meric Kaytanci, SVP of
Vakifbank and Mr. Serkan Ulgen, EVP of Yapi Kredi were all present at
Loewe to conduct transactions with their respective banks’ Troy Global
Cards. These transactions represented the first Troy Global Cards to
complete a purchase on the Discover Global Network.
BKM, owned by 10 Turkish banks, processes payments for the Turkish
market. BKM’s unique position in the market will result in increased
acceptance for Discover. Previously, BKM and Discover collaborated on
the integration of D-PAS, Discover’s EMV solution, into the Troy Network
as a white label solution. Discover will now also provide Troy’s members
with a centralized processing solution to efficiently authorize
international transactions.
Popular travel destinations for Turkish travelers include places where
Discover Global Network has strong acceptance and there is an expected
27 percent increase in international travel by tourists from Turkey by
20201.
“Turkey is an active travel market and we are excited to work with BKM
to provide global acceptance for their Troy Network and their issuing
partners as well as providing increased acceptance for current Discover
Global Network cardholders when visiting Turkey,” said Joe Hurley,
senior vice president of global business development, Discover Global
Network. “This agreement with BKM complements Discover’s strategy of
creating worldwide alliances that provide consumers with more choice
when it comes to how they pay.”
“With nearly 190 million cards in circulation, 2.4 million POS
terminals, and 50,000 ATMs, Turkey is the largest card payment market in
Europe. The sector is well-developed and has been the pioneer of
innovation in global payments arena. Launched in April 2016, Troy has
achieved great results in a very short time. Fully accepted at all
payments points in Turkey and 16 members already issuing Troy cards,
Troy has almost reached the 1 million mark in card numbers. In
partnership with Discover, Troy will now also be accepted
internationally. This strategic alliance with Discover reinforces BKM's
continuous efforts to diversify its card-payment services for our
members and promote Turkey's card-payment market development,” said Dr.
Soner Canko, CEO of BKM. “We strongly believe that TROY will strengthen
our ability to develop innovative solutions aligned with the needs of
the Turkish market and to bring these solutions to market in a fast and
cost-effective way. With this belief, we as Troy have established an
innovation center to spearhead the development of new solutions and
products. The alliance with Discover will also help Troy in providing
its members with the opportunity to use Discover’s innovative payment
products.”
Discover Global Network has over 41 million merchant acceptance
locations and 1.9 million ATM and cash access locations across 185
countries and territories. Discover Global Network includes Discover,
Diners Club International, PULSE and affiliated networks. It also
includes network relationships with partners around the globe in Brazil,
China, India, Japan, the Middle East, Nigeria, Puerto Rico, Serbia,
South Korea, Vietnam, and throughout Europe.
About BKM and Troy
The Interbank Card Center (BKM) was established in 1990 with the
partnership of 13 public and private Turkish banks for the purpose of
providing processing solutions and developing the rules and standards of
payments for debit, credit, and prepaid cards in Turkey. BKM, with 28
Banks and 2 Non-Bank Institutions as members, is the domestic payment
services provider to all Turkish Issuers & Acquirers.
BKM established Troy, the first and only Turkish domestic card scheme,
in April 2016 to provide customized solutions for Turkish market needs,
with an aim to reduce cash usage with increased financial inclusion.
Troy’s members have already enabled Troy cards domestically with
acceptance throughout the national territory at all POS terminals, ATMs,
and e-commerce merchants.
For more information, visit: http://bkm.com.tr/en/
and https://troyodeme.com/
About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment
services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S.
financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become
one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues
the Discover card, America's cash rewards pioneer, and offers private
student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, checking and savings
accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its
direct banking business. It operates the Discover Network, with millions
of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation's
leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global
payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and
territories. For more information, visit: www.discover.com/company.
1Flows in Turkey, Euromonitor 2016
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Source: Discover Financial Services