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
