Net Protections, Inc. (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shin Shibata; “Net Protections”), a consolidated subsidiary of Net Protections Holdings, Inc. (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Shin Shibata; “the Company”), and Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited (headquartered in Koto-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director, President & CEO: Yukihiko Onishi; “Sumitomo Mitsui Card”) are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate on B2B payments.
Background and Purpose of the Alliance
While digitization and cashless payments are advancing in domestic B2B transactions, manual billing operations and collection risks continue to hinder corporate productivity. Additionally, against the backdrop of serious labor shortages and mandatory legal compliance, such as the Law on Book and Record Keeping through Electronic Methods and the Invoice System, the need for corporate Digital Transformation (DX), including the digitization of invoices and the automation of payment operations, is higher than ever.
In response to these trends, Net Protections has pioneered corporate DX by developing proprietary credit-screening expertise and advanced operational systems through its B2B payment service, ‘NP Kakebarai,’ in the growing B2B BNPL market, which is expanding at an annual rate of over 30%.（※）
Meanwhile, Sumitomo Mitsui Card, a leading company in cashless payments, continues to streamline B2B transactions through its diverse portfolio of corporate cards and e-commerce processing services.
Through this business alliance, Net Protections and Sumitomo Mitsui Card aim to create high-impact B2B payment services and support a wide range of corporate customers by mutually leveraging their advanced B2B payment solutions.
（※）Source: Yano Research Institute Ltd.
Main Details of the Alliance
Based on the objectives above, Net Protections and Sumitomo Mitsui Card will consider the concrete implementation of the collaboration in stages as follows:
1. Joint sales and delivery of seamless payment services
Through this collaboration, Sumitomo Mitsui Card will offer 'NP Kakebarai' to the SMBC Group’s extensive corporate client base. This move will directly address critical business needs, including billing outsourcing, credit risk mitigation, and invoice management DX. Simultaneously, both companies will explore offering Sumitomo Mitsui Card’s advanced financial solutions—such as corporate cards and the 'Trunk' digital financial platform—to businesses currently utilizing 'NP Kakebarai.'
2. System integration and strategic alignment for new value creation
To maximize product value in the B2B payment area, we will consider various initiatives, starting with the linkage of existing payment products provided by Sumitomo Mitsui Card (such as factoring products) and Net Protections' advanced system infrastructure.
Comments from the Representative
Shin Shibata, CEO, Net Protections Holdings, Inc.
“I am very pleased to be able to partner with Sumitomo Mitsui Card, a leading company in cashless payments. I am convinced that by fusing our knowledge in B2B payments with Sumitomo Mitsui Card's overwhelming trust and network, we can update Japanese business practices to be smarter.”
About Net Protections Holdings, Inc.
Company Name: Net Protections Holdings, Inc.
Representative: Shin Shibata, CEO
Website: https://corp.netprotections.com/en/
Business: BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) Services
Established: January 2000
Capital: 100 million JPY
Head Office: Sumitomo Fudosan Kojimachi First Building 5th Floor, 4-2-6 Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 102-0083, Japan
About Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited
Company Name: Sumitomo Mitsui Card Company, Limited
Representative: Yukihiko Onishi, Representative Director, President & CEO
Website: https://www.smbc-card.com/
Business:Credit card services,Debit, prepaid, and other payment services,Loan services,Guarantee services,Shopping credit services,Transaction services,Other ancillary businesses
Established: December 1967
Capital: 34,000,003,000 yen (As of March 31, 2025)
Head Office: SMBC Toyosu Building, 2-2-31 Toyosu, Koto-ku, Tokyo 135-0061, Japan
Direct any inquiries regarding this release to:
Net Protections PR
Email: pr@netprotections.co.jp
