Visa Revolutionizes SME Shippers' Cash Flow with Maritime DX; Launches B2B Card Payments for Container Shipping Giant ONE, Accelerating Trade Digitalization

Visa Worldwide Japan Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director and President: Stephen Kehoe, hereinafter "Visa") announced that Visa has been adopted as the first B2B card payment service for "ONE Finance," a comprehensive finance portal provided to small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) shippers by Ocean Network Express Pte. Ltd. (Headquarters: Singapore, CEO: Jeremy Nixon, hereinafter "ONE"), one of the world's leading container shipping companies. This service will further streamline and increase transparency in the billing and payment processes, reducing the burden of cash management for SME shippers and supporting the digitalization of business processes in the maritime industry.

## Background of Implementation

In the maritime transport industry, which accounts for over 99% of Japan's trade (by weight), analog payment methods such as paper invoices and bank transfers remain mainstream, perpetuating a structure where it takes considerable time and effort from transaction to sales recovery. In addition, exchange rate fluctuations and changes in the interest rate environment directly affect cash flow. Prolonged cash cycles and the burden of billing and reconciliation tasks have become major management challenges, particularly for SME shippers.

Given this situation, Visa, through its partnership with ONE, decided to support the construction of a new payment process utilizing B2B card payments in the Japanese market, promoting efforts to improve SME shippers' cash flow and enhance the convenience and transparency of maritime transactions.

## New Value Brought by Maritime × Digital Payments

As one of the world's leading container shipping companies, ONE operates over 260 container ships and provides container transport services connecting more than 120 countries worldwide. Backed by this global business foundation, the B2B card payment introduced by ONE this time is an initiative that starts with implementation in the Japanese market, with a view to future overseas expansion.

For SME shippers, introducing a deferred card payment system increases the flexibility of their cash flow and reduces management burdens. Moreover, instant payment confirmation enables the swift release of cargo and documents, contributing to improved speed and convenience in overall logistics.

## Integration with the Digital Platform "ONE Finance"

To promote the DX (Digital Transformation) of the container shipping business that ONE aims for, the two companies have repeatedly examined the challenges and potential for digitalization in B2B payments through workshops hosted by Visa. With Visa's B2B card payment service now integrated into ONE's comprehensive finance portal "ONE Finance," a smoother and more transparent billing and payment process becomes possible.

In this initiative, Visa will work to promote an understanding of the benefits of card introduction among the maritime industry and shipping companies, while supporting the proposal and promotional activities of corporate card solutions tailored to shippers' needs. Visa will also broadly support ONE's introduction and expansion into other countries leveraging Visa's global network.

## Realizing Operational Efficiency and Risk Reduction for ONE as Well

This initiative is directly linked not only to supporting SME shippers but also to business process reforms within ONE. Integrating card payment data with accounting systems enables automated matching of payment information, significantly reducing manual reconciliation work. Furthermore, the payment guarantee provided by the Visa network reduces uncollected and delayed payment risks, contributing to the stabilization of the fund recovery cycle. In the maritime industry, where card payment penetration is still low, this initiative serves as a stepping stone to expand transaction volume and broaden the potential for acquiring new customers through enhanced service value.

## Representative Comments

Mr. Kenichi Michida, Executive Vice President, ONE

"The introduction of B2B card payments is a major step toward reducing the cash flow, billing, and settlement burdens faced by our SME customers, and providing faster, more reliable logistics services. Visa is an extremely reassuring partner to advance this initiative with, and starting with the launch in Japan, we are considering global expansion in the future."