Stripe Expands In Europe, Inks JCB Tie-Up In Japan

Stripe, a technology company that allows businesses to make and receive online payments, has launched in five more European countries, the San Francisco firm announced Wednesday (May 27).

The global payments company is now doing business in the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria, Cyprus and Malta.

“Stripe is in 39 countries now, 29 of which are in Europe,” said Matt Henderson, Stripe’s Business Lead for Europe, Middle East and Africa in a statement. “We are excited about bringing Stripe to even more European countries, making payment acceptance and money movement faster and less complicated for everyone. We are nearing our goal of making Stripe universally available to businesses across the continent.”

Stripe is ramping up against competitors including London-based Checkout.com, which recently purchased Australian startup Pin Payments, and Adyen, a Dutch payment company that provides businesses a way to accept eCommerce, mobile and point-of-sale payments.

Europe’s fast-growing online economy has been fueled by the shift to online purchases as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stripe’s availability now enables more European entrepreneurs and businesses to start accepting payments online from around the world in a matter of minutes, the company said.

In addition, Stripe announced a partnership with JCB, Japan’s only international payment brand. The collaboration will allow businesses to accept payments from JCB’s 100 million cardholders.

A new engineering office in Tokyo has been opened to focus on building more features to meet the needs of Japanese businesses. Stripe hired former Apple executive Daisuke Aranami as its head of revenue and growth.

“We’re obsessed about helping businesses innovate faster and we believe now is not the time to pull back, but to invest even more heavily in Stripe’s presence in Japan,” Aranami said in a statement.

As a result of the expansion, online companies in these nations have access to Stripe’s products stack to operate their business globally, Stripe said.

Stripe has helped Mews, a Czech Republic property management system company for hotels and hostels, drive innovation in hospitality and ease hotel check-in for consumers, according to CEO Matthijs Welle.

“We are excited about Stripe’s launch in even more countries, as it helps us grow our own international footprint as well,” he said in a statement.