Sony, backed by its international finance arm, has launched a new electronic payment system in Hong Kong which it claims is faster and more secure than existing online facilities.
Global e-Scott is a centralised electronic payment scheme, established by Sony Finance International (SFI), that connects merchant banks, credit card companies and other financial institutions through a virtual private network (VPN).
This payment system is supported by an integrated payment method, called Smash, which enables users to complete online transactions by using their login name and password in lieu of their credit card information.
'Hong Kong is the first market outside of Japan where Global
e-Scott and Smash are being introduced,' said Susumu Kitadai, division managing director at Sony's Hong Kong Marketing Company.
The e-commerce initiative follows Sony's initial expansion of its broadband Internet services unit So-net outside of Japan in August, when it started operations in the SAR.
Nobumasa Yui, division manager of So-net HK, said: 'The Global e-Scott VPN ensures faster, more reliable and secure data transmission. It is in a better position than existing online payment schemes to avoid intrusion of hackers.' Using a VPN involves encrypting data before sending it through the Internet and decrypting it at the receiving end.