Hi, well this is also good for the finance sector indirectly, enjoy:

http://gulf-daily-news.com/source/xxviii/045/images/Bpic1.jpg

Japanese credit card JCB was officially launched in Bahrain by CrediMax at a reception at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa last night. JCB is accepted in 190 countries with over 53 million card holders.

It is issued in 18 countries with Bahrain being the 19th station.

The card will be accepted at all outlets in Bahrain which accept Visa and MasterCard, which total over 6,000.

Speaking at a Press conference prior to the launch, CrediMax general manager Mohammed Ebrahim Mohammed said the card will be offered to existing CrediMax customers with good credit.

"Two types of cards will be available, the Classic card, for which membership is free, and the Gold Card, for which there is a fee that will be waved for existing CrediMax customers," he said.

Mr Mohammed said JCB is gaining popularity worldwide and is catching up with rivals Visa and MasterCard.

"At the moment, large and established companies have started accepting the card with smaller ones following suit," he said.

JCB International president Kunio Yoshizawa said the card will be accepted by over 12 million merchants worldwide.

"The JCB brand is looking forward to becoming one of Bahrain's favourite cards," he said.

Good news,but I dont think that JCB would ever replace Visa or MasterCard in Bahrain.

There is no reason for having negative expectations,

I think it will prove popular soon,

A variety in the market is good, wait and see, this will be popular, it will need time but there is time.

It will all depends on the marketing strategy BBK would use, Im sure they will have the best rates in the first few years.

I think the Asian products will prove successful, and I accolade Bahrain for exploiting the Asian markets, that's where the future is, most of it.

I have one more reason,

Japanese products are always dominating sales, why not this one :)