Deloitte in Japan signs deal with QR code payment developer Cellum

Deloitte in Japan has signed a deal with Hungarian mobile transactions provider Cellum to offer clients QR code-based mobile payments in the country.

Cellum, which was established in Hungary in 2000 and has since grown to include subsidiaries in Europe, North America and Asia – with a 30 percent global stake owned by Telkom Indonesia and its APAC headquarters in Singapore – is a leading international market provider of mobile transaction solutions. Counting MasterCard and IBM among its many partners, Cellum’s systems currently facilitate over 20 million secure transactions per year.

With existing activities across Asia, including a previous pilot programme with SingTel in Singapore and partnership agreements in Indonesia and Myanmar, Cellum will now enter Japan – according to the firm one of the world’s most developed mobile transactions markets, with a population of 127 million and high levels smartphone penetration – after signing an agreement with the Japanese arm of Deloitte to introduce its QR code payment technology to local clients.

According to market research conducted by Deloitte in Japan, which has now been integrated into a single operational entity with fellow Deloitte Asia Pacific arms in China, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand, the firm has identified a high demand for QR code payment systems in the country, with the majority of previous local consumers positive about the technology and large numbers of those who have yet to use the technology open to doing so.QR, or Quick Response codes are a form of matrix barcode first developed for the automotive industry of Japan to help track vehicle parts during manufacturing. With the rise of smartphones and personal mobile scanning, the technology has since spread to other areas of industry, including as commonly used in advertising, for tickets and receipts, and as a contactless and card-free payment system. According to Cellum, its own technology is also easily customisable.

“Japan is a very exciting market with a unique culture that we need to treat with respect. Instead of forcing a ‘one size fits allʼ approach, we need to tailor our solutions to their local needs. We are fortunate to have a highly flexible technology that allows us to easily do just that,” Cellum CEO and former Hungarian Minister of Economy and Transport János Kóka said. “We have high hopes for Japan and we see a tremendous opportunity in the deep expertise that Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC brings to this partnership.”

Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu partner Kunihiro Hattori – one of approximately 6,500 professionals employed by the firm across 40 cities in Japan – responded in kind; “Cellum has been providing its infrastructure for QR code payments for years and Japanese players are able to gain benefits from the platform to start QR payment services immediately. Deloitte is happy to advise Japanese clients to enter the QR code payment business including marketing strategy and big data monetisation.”

The Deloitte partner adds; “Japan is aiming at a cashless payment rate of 80 percent from the current 20 percent. We still have a lot to learn from outside of the country to achieve the goal.” Recently, Japanese business and engineering/IT students were among the almost 230,000 surveyed from the world’s largest economies who considered Deloitte one of the top five most attractive employers globally – with the firm now employing in excess of 286,000 people worldwide.