Fiserv and SMCC Partner to Digitize Japanese SMBs Ahead of 2030 Cashless Goals
Fiserv (NASDAQ: FISV) is deepening its presence in the Asia-Pacific region, announcing a strategic partnership with Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company (SMCC) to introduce its flagship Clover point-of-sale capabilities to the Japanese market.
The agreement aims to deploy the Clover suite—an integrated payment and business management platform—to millions of small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) across Japan’s retail, dining, and professional service sectors. The commercial launch is slated for late 2026.
This move comes as Fiserv seeks to capitalize on Japan’s accelerating shift away from physical currency. The Japanese government has set a national directive to increase the ratio of cashless payments to 65% by 2030, creating a substantial opening for FinTech providers to modernize legacy infrastructure.
Fiserv CEO Mike Lyons described the partnership as a "significant step" in the company's global expansion strategy. The Japan entry follows similar recent deployments of Clover solutions in Brazil and Australia, signaling a concerted effort by the Milwaukee-based firm to scale its merchant acquiring and processing footprint in international markets.
Under the agreement, the Clover platform will be localized to suit Japan’s specific business environment, offering features such as multi-store support and smartphone-based operations.
Yukihiko Onishi, President and CEO of SMCC, noted that the collaboration combines SMCC's existing market influence as a pioneer in Visa issuance with Fiserv’s technical infrastructure to drive operational efficiency for local merchants.
Norbert Gehrke
