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Austin, Texas-based start-up Episode Six is banking on Hong Kong demand for virtual payments, SME lending

  • Start-up expects to see growing demand for its virtual card payments solution and virtual account in Hong Kong, CEO says
  • Asia remains E6’s largest market both in terms of revenue and accounts since its founding in 2015

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Hong Kong want to see more innovative working capital solutions being deployed for SMEs, and E6 will answer this call by launching a new product for the sector in the second half of 2024. Photo: Dickson Lee
Yuke Xiein Beijing
Episode Six, or E6, an Austin, Texas-headquartered global provider of payment processing and digital ledger infrastructure for banks and financial institutions, will expand its footprint in Hong Kong this year on the back of growing demand for virtual-payment technologies, the company’s executives told the Post.
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“We’re seeing increasing demand for virtual card payments, which our platform is perfectly suited for,” said John Mitchell, E6’s co-founder and CEO. “We’re also seeing an increase in demand for our virtual account, and we’re expected to have growing penetration around these two products in Hong Kong throughout the rest of the year.”

Brian Muse-McKenney, E6’s chief revenue officer, said that small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) lending is another area that the start-up will focus on this year.

“We know there’s a push from the regulators to see more innovative working capital solutions deployed to SMEs, and we have a product that takes the concept of ‘buy now, pay later’ [BNPL] but industrialises it and makes it fit for purpose for commercial banks to offer to SME customers,” Muse-McKenney said, adding that there is some “good traction” taking place in the market, and E6 is looking to officially launch the new product in the second half of this year.

BNPL is a short-term instalment loan that allows customers to make purchases and pay for them later, without being charged interest.

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E6, whose partners include PayMe, HSBC’s mobile payment service, and MasterCard, is also confident about the growth potential of the Asia-Pacific market.
PayMe, HSBC’s mobile payment service, is one of E6’s partners. Photo: Handout
PayMe, HSBC’s mobile payment service, is one of E6’s partners. Photo: Handout
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