Press releases

Optimal Payments Processes a Record Amount of #IceBucketChallenge Donations for ALS Canada and Contributes $10,000 to the Cause

Nov 20, 2014

NETBANX Makes Unprecedented Online Donations Possible

MONTREAL (November 20, 2014) — Optimal Payments (LSE AIM: OPAY), a leading global online payments provider, has processed a record amount of donations made to the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Society of Canada (ALS Canada) and is donating amount $10,000 as part of the summer’s viral #IceBucketChallenge.

Since partnering in 2012, Optimal Payments has been processing all online donations for ALS Canada and giving supporters a simple, secure and easy way to donate. The ALS #IceBucketChallenge of 2014 became an Internet phenomenon and generated an unprecedented number of single donations in a very short time. The Level 1 PCI-DSS-compliant NETBANX® payment gateway easily supported the increased volume of donations and continues to process one-time and monthly recurring donations without interruption. NETBANX also provides ongoing comprehensive risk analysis to protect and respond to current and emerging fraud patterns in order to ensure donations continue to make a difference.

“Congratulations to ALS Canada for raising $16.2 million during the overwhelmingly successful #IceBucketChallenge this summer. As part of this campaign, Optimal Payments has donated $10,000 to support this worthy cause,” said Joel Leonoff, president and CEO, Optimal Payments. “We are proud to be the payments provider of choice that makes online donations for societies such as ALS Canada possible.”

“ALS Canada saw a remarkable increase in donations this summer and our partnership with Optimal Payments made accepting and processing these online donations worry-free,” said Tammy Moore, CEO, ALS Canada. “Thanks to our supporters and participants in the #IceBucketChallenge, ALS is no longer an unknown disease.”

The #IceBucketChallenge helped raise awareness and donations to support the fight against ALS. Otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, it is a progressive neuromuscular disease in which nerve cells die and leave voluntary muscles paralyzed, killing two to three Canadians daily.

About ALS Society of Canada

ALS Society of Canada was founded in 1977. We are dedicated to supporting people living with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), and investing in research for the future, so ALS will be a treatable, not terminal disease.

ALS Canada is a national organization responsible for the ALS Canada Research Program – funding peer-reviewed research grants and fostering collaboration amongst Canadian researchers, helping to nurture new ideas and build capacity. ALS Canada has a role in Ontario, similar to that of the Provincial Societies, providing services and support for people living within our provinces – we help fill the gaps between the healthcare system and needs of people living with ALS. We advocate federally, provincially and locally on behalf of people and their families for better government support and access within the healthcare system.

About ALS

ALS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, is a neurodegenerative disease where the cells in the body that control movement die. The “living wires” which connect a person’s brain to their muscles degenerate, leading to a loss of mobility, changes or complete loss of speech and eventually the ability to breathe. ALS is a terminal disease that has no cure, and no effective treatment. Approx. 2,500-3,000 Canadians are living with ALS. It is estimated 1,000 Canadians will die because of ALS and 1,000 will be newly diagnosed each year. The average lifespan is two to five years.

About Optimal Payments Plc

Optimal Payments is a global provider of online payment solutions, trusted by businesses and consumers in over 200 countries and territories to move and manage billions of dollars each year. Merchants use the NETBANX® platform and services to simplify how they accept credit and debit card, direct-from-bank, and alternative and local payments; and the NETELLER® service to increase revenues and capture new customers. Consumers use the multilingual and multicurrency NETELLER and Net+® Card stored-value offering to make secure and convenient payments. In July 2014, Optimal Payments acquired Meritus Payment Solutions and GMA as part of the company’s commitment to strengthen its presence in the US market. Optimal Payments Plc is quoted on the London Stock Exchange’s AIM, with a ticker symbol of OPAY. Subsidiary company Optimal Payments Ltd is authorised and regulated as an e-money issuer by the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 900015).

For more information on Optimal Payments visit www.optimalpayments.com or subscribe at http://www.optimalpayments.com/media/email-alerts.

For further information contact:

Investor Relations Contact:
Jessica Stalley
Optimal Payments Plc
investorrelations@optimalpayments.com

Media Contacts – Canada:
Erin Cudmore
Zenergy Communications
+1 416-591-5461
opay@zenergycom.com

Media Contacts - United States:
Richard Anderson/Emily Simmons
Feintuch Communications
+1 718-986-1596/ +1 212-808-4904
optimal@feintuchpr.com

Media Contacts – United Kingdom:
Andrew Dunn/Simon Fluendy
Tavistock Communications
+44 20 7920 3150
optimal@tavistock.co.uk 

Rebecca Grima
Director of Marketing and Communications
ALS Canada
905.248.2052 x234
rg@als.ca 

Optimal Payments Processes a Record Amount of #IceBucketChallenge Donations for ALS Canada and Contributes $10,000 to the Cause