London, 21 July 2009: As Ukash, the online payment specialist, continues in its quest to make online shopping available to everybody, anywhere in the world, the company has signed a significant global deal with epay, a Division of Euronet Worldwide, Inc. – a leading provider of payment services and technology – to distribute Ukash vouchers across the epay retailer network in Australasia and Europe. 

This latest deal means that Ukash, and its holding company Smart Voucher, is accessible for either direct-to-consumer or ‘white label’ solutions on every major continent in the world – in order to offer a wider range of global internet users the opportunity to pay, play and shop online using cash.

The Ukash partnership with epay – with its worldwide cash collection network – offers consumers a secure and easy payment method for purchases using cash. Consumers will be able to obtain Ukash vouchers from thousands of existing epay merchants, which can then be used as a payment method online. This provides consumers with a secure payment system where they don’t need to reveal any financial information, enabling those without access to credit or debit cards - or those with fears of online fraud - to enjoy online shopping.

The epay and Ukash deal will:
-   see Ukash launch its physical estate for the first time in Australia and New Zealand
-   extend its European coverage with physical estate in Italy and Poland
-   extend its existing presence in Germany and Spain
-   increase epay’s portfolio of payment products in these six countries

These are key growth markets for Ukash as the company looks to establish itself in countries where internet shopping is predicted to rise sharply.

Mark Chirnside, chief executive officer Ukash, explained, “Our global expansion is the major focus for Ukash as we continue to increase the availability of our product and make online shopping available to anybody, anywhere in the world. By partnering with epay we are able to reach a huge number of potential new customers and expand our global footprint to allow more customers to pay, play and shop online using cash.”

“epay is pleased to be able to partner with Ukash, thereby combining the strengths of both businesses to offer consumers more convenient locations to obtain Ukash vouchers – a safe and alternative method of online payment,“ said Gareth Gumbley, chief executive officer epay. “Utilising our worldwide cash collection network, we can deliver a value-added service to Ukash customers, further extending our payment service and technology offering.”