12/5/2007

BNU and Planet Payment to Provide Innovative Payment Solutions for Macao

BNU and Planet Payment to Provide Innovative Payment Solutions for Macao

Banco Nacional Ultramarino, a leading commercial bank in Macao, and Planet Payment [LSE:AIM: PPTR and PPT], a leading international multi-currency payment and data processor, today announced an agreement to provide innovative processing solutions to meet the needs of the dynamic Macao market. The solution will include Planet Payment’s Pay in Your Currency™ service, which provides international customers with the convenience of paying for purchases in their home currency, and support of integrated payment functionality through sophisticated point-of-sale applications.

The services are particularly focused upon the needs of the international gaming and entertainment businesses which are increasingly investing in the Macau market. Many of these merchants use sophisticated property management systems and point-of-sale systems to run the day-to-day operation of their businesses. Through the solutions announced today, merchants can integrate the credit card payment functionality directly into business management systems. This integrated functionality can increase the hotel’s operational efficiency by capturing all of the property’s transaction data from various points-of-sale through one interface, providing greater visibility into the property’s financial performance.

Macao is now the number one gaming destination in the world, overtaking Las Vegas in 2005, with the city attracting over 22 million visitors in 2006 alone. A large number of hotels, restaurants and retailers have opened on the island to accommodate this booming travel sector.

The Pay in Your Currency service provides customers using Visa® or MasterCard® payment cards denominated in most major currencies with a real-time choice of currencies in which to complete their purchases. Tourists and business travellers will enjoy the comfort of knowing how much they are paying in their home currency, and they no longer need to wait until they return home to discover what their transactions actually cost in their home currency. The service provides merchants with a powerful marketing tool that can be used to attract more customers and drive sales by providing superior customer service and a more personalized shopping experience.

“The tourism industry is extremely important to Macao, and a large number of large hotels, restaurants and retailers have opened recently to accommodate the ever-increasing levels of visitors,” said Dr. Herculano Sousa, Chief Executive Officer of BNU. “Now, through this agreement with Planet Payment, we will be able to offer additional services to our merchants and help them manage their business more efficiently and effectively. In particular, our international customers are provided with a comprehensive set of superior services and products that will meet their sophisticated technical and operational requirements.”

“Macao presents an ideal market for Planet Payment,” said Philip Beck, Chief Executive Officer of Planet Payment. “Merchants in Macao require sophisticated payment solutions that compliment their complex property and business management systems, and which allow for the effective management of transaction data. We look forward to working with BNU to develop solutions that can help improve operational efficiency, and which allow merchants to attract and cater to the growing number of international visitors to Macao.”





Enquiries to:

Planet Payment, Inc.


Thomas J. DeLuca, SVP Corporate Development

Tel: +852.9303.0658
Joel Mayer, Director, Corporate Development

Tel: + 1.516.670.3200
Redleaf Communications Ltd (for Planet Payment)


Emma Kane / Paul Dulieu / Richard Girling

Tel: +44 20 7822 0200
Fax: +44 20 7822 0201
ek@redleafpr.com
Canaccord Adams Ltd (for Planet Payment)


Mark Williams/Clayton Bush

Tel: +44 20 7050 6500
Fax: +44 20 7050 6501
Banco Nacional Ultramarino



Evonne Chiu, Hd of Business Devp., Hospitality & Gaming Industry


Tel: +853 3989

About Planet Payment

Further information on Planet Payment [LSE: AIM: PPT and PPTR for unrestricted and Reg S common shares respectively] can be found at: www.planetpayment.com. This website is the one required to be maintained by the Company pursuant to AIM Rule 26 and the information required to be provided under Rule 26 is accessible by clicking on “Investors”.

Planet Payment is a multi-currency payment and data processor, enabling processors, acquiring banks and their merchants to accept, process and reconcile credit card transactions in multiple currencies, allowing cardholders to view prices and settle transactions in their native currency. Planet Payment’s systems also enable it to provide enhanced data reporting and data management and integrated payment solution support to merchants using multiple systems in different countries. The “Pay in Your Currency” is a component of Planet Payment’s suite of multi-currency processing solutions, which include a multi-currency pricing e-commerce service and a Dynamic Currency Conversion service. Planet Payment also recently launched BuyVoice™, a mobile payment and commerce solution, which allows merchants to accept payments and sell product to customers using any mobile or landline phone.

The Planet Payment business was established in 1999. Planet Payment is headquartered in New York and has offices in Atlanta, Beijing, Bermuda, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and the United Kingdom.

About BNU

BNU is a diversified and expanding local bank, which is proud of its longstanding history of supporting and serving the local community in Macau. BNU provides a broad range of banking products and services both in the consumer and commercial banking areas, including credit card issuing and acquiring services, issuing of debit cards and ATM services, housing and personal loans, investment services and corporate banking facilities, delivered through a variety of distribution channels and supported by an efficient customer service. BNU operates 14 branches in Macau.

Well supported by the CGD group in Portugal, one of Europe’s largest financial institutions with an extensive global network in over 20 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas, BNU combines local knowledge with international experience to offer comprehensive and innovative banking solutions, including online banking for private and corporate customers allowing for a broad range of banking to be conveniently performed through the Internet.

Forward-Looking Statements. Information contained in this announcement may include ‘forward-looking statements’. All statements other than statements of historical facts included herein, including, without limitation, those regarding Planet Payment’s financial position, business strategy, plans and objectives of management for future operations (including development plans and objectives relating to Planet Payment’s business) are forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on a number of assumptions regarding Planet Payment’s present and future business strategies and the environment in which Planet Payment expects to operate in future, which assumptions may or may not be fulfilled in practice. Actual results may vary materially from the results anticipated by these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of risk factors, including the risk that implementation, adoption and offering of the service by processors, acquirers, merchants and others may take longer than anticipated, or may not occur at all, regulatory changes, particularly in China and changes in card association regulations and practices; general economic risk and volume of international travel and commerce and others.. These forward-looking statements speak only as to the date of this announcement and cannot be relied upon as a guide to future performance. Planet Payment expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to disseminate any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained in this announcement to reflect any changes in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any statement is based.