Taipei EasyCard Corp yesterday signed a contract with four banks to issue EasyCard joint-branded cards that will allow cardholders to link their EasyCard with credit or ATM accounts to add value automatically as soon as October.
Taipei EasyCard Corp chairman Sean Lien (連勝文) said at a press conference yesterday that along with the four banks — including E. Sun Bank, Mega International Commercial Bank, First Commercial Bank and Hua Nan Bank — the corporation would help expand use of EasyCards and provide more benefits to cardholders.
The company had already cooperated with four other banks in issuing the joint-branded card three years ago.
Lien attributed the expanded cooperation with the banks to the passing of the Act on Issuance and Management of Electronic Monetary Cards (電子票證發行管理條例) on Tuesday, and said he expected to take advantage of more business opportunities in the future.
The Act allows companies to issue a single electronic monetary card that can be used for multiple purposes.
Cardholders will be able to pay for products, services or government fees with the card.
Jason Lin (林志盈), general manager of the company, said it has been putting a great deal of effort into expanding use of EasyCards since the law was passed.
In addition to allowing the card to be used to pay for products at major convenience stores in June, cardholders will be able to link their EasyCard with credit card accounts in October and with ATM cards next year.
The “account link” service will allow cardholders to add value to their EasyCard automatically.
People who are prohibited from applying for credit cards, such as students under age 20 can also utilize the service by linking their EasyCard to the credit card account of a legal guardian, Lin said.
The “automatic add value” service limits the amount of money that can be added to a card to NT$500 per day.
DEFENSE: The National Security Bureau promised to expand communication and intelligence cooperation with global partners and enhance its strategic analytical skills China has not only increased military exercises and “gray zone” tactics against Taiwan this year, but also continues to recruit military personnel for espionage, the National Security Bureau (NSB) said yesterday in a report to the Legislative Yuan. The bureau submitted the report ahead of NSB Director-General Tsai Ming-yen’s (蔡明彥) appearance before the Foreign and National Defense Committee today. Last year, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) conducted “Joint Sword-2024A and B” military exercises targeting Taiwan and carried out 40 combat readiness patrols, the bureau said. In addition, Chinese military aircraft entered Taiwan’s airspace 3,070 times last year, up about
Taiwan is stepping up plans to create self-sufficient supply chains for combat drones and increase foreign orders from the US to counter China’s numerical superiority, a defense official said on Saturday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said the nation’s armed forces are in agreement with US Admiral Samuel Paparo’s assessment that Taiwan’s military must be prepared to turn the nation’s waters into a “hellscape” for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Paparo, the commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, reiterated the concept during a Congressional hearing in Washington on Wednesday. He first coined the term in a security conference last
A magnitude 4.3 earthquake struck eastern Taiwan's Hualien County at 8:31am today, according to the Central Weather Administration (CWA). The epicenter of the temblor was located in Hualien County, about 70.3 kilometers south southwest of Hualien County Hall, at a depth of 23.2km, according to the administration. There were no immediate reports of damage resulting from the quake. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effect of a temblor, was highest in Taitung County, where it measured 3 on Taiwan's 7-tier intensity scale. The quake also measured an intensity of 2 in Hualien and Nantou counties, the CWA said.
The Overseas Community Affairs Council (OCAC) yesterday announced a fundraising campaign to support survivors of the magnitude 7.7 earthquake that struck Myanmar on March 28, with two prayer events scheduled in Taipei and Taichung later this week. “While initial rescue operations have concluded [in Myanmar], many survivors are now facing increasingly difficult living conditions,” OCAC Minister Hsu Chia-ching (徐佳青) told a news conference in Taipei. The fundraising campaign, which runs through May 31, is focused on supporting the reconstruction of damaged overseas compatriot schools, assisting students from Myanmar in Taiwan, and providing essential items, such as drinking water, food and medical supplies,