DirectD and JCL Collaborate to Expand Smartphone Accessibility in Malaysia
- nabalunews
- 7 minutes ago
- 2 min read
24 November 2025
KUALA LUMPUR: DirectD, one of Malaysia’s leading multi-brand smartphone retailers, has today announced a strategic partnership with JCL Credit Leasing (JCL), a Tokyo-based financial services group, to broaden access to quality smartphones nationwide. This collaboration aims to remove key barriers to device ownership while embedding circular economy principles to minimise e-waste and reduce lifecycle carbon emissions.
By providing high-quality, reliable devices through accessible options, including flexible financing for ownership, subscriptions, or upgrades, the partnership seeks to enhance productivity across work and education for Malaysians from all walks of life, thereby enriching their daily experiences.
"We’re excited to work with JCL to expand access to dependable smartphones, an essential tool that underpins income generation, learning, business transactions, and daily life," said Amy Tan, CEO of DirectD. "Combining affordability with straightforward upgrade and trade-in options will extend device lifespans, helping to reduce our Scope 3 emissions and advance our ESG commitments."
“Digital inclusion and sustainability go hand in hand,” commented Yutaka Tanimoto, Director of JCL. “By leveraging JCL’s expertise in consumer finance alongside DirectD’s nationwide presence, we aim to enable more Malaysians to participate in the digital economy on transparent, manageable terms, supporting both individual progress and environmental responsibility.”
Customers can expect lower financial barriers and new opportunities to access higher-quality devices across Malaysia, with particular focus on underserved communities. To help stretch budgets further, customers may trade in eligible devices for value towards their next purchase. Through circularity initiatives, devices are sent to certified third-party partners for testing and refurbishment before being redeployed to extend their lifecycles. Devices that are non-recoverable are responsibly recycled to minimise e-waste and lifecycle emissions.
Having served over one million consumers to date, DirectD aims to deliver 30,000 devices to underserved communities through this partnership with JCL in 2026.
