Optimal Payments Processes a Record Amount of #IceBucketChallenge Donations for ALS Canada
and Contributes $10,000 to the Cause
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 peerreviewed 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
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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.
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For further information contact:
Investor Relations Contact:
Jessica Stalley
Optimal Payments Plc
[email protected]
Media Contacts – Canada:
Erin Cudmore
Zenergy Communications
+1 416-591-5461
[email protected]
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Media Contacts - United States:
Richard Anderson/Emily Simmons
Feintuch Communications
+1 718-986-1596/ +1 212-808-4904
[email protected]
Media Contacts – United Kingdom:
Andrew Dunn/Simon Fluendy
Tavistock Communications
+44 20 7920 3150
[email protected]
Rebecca Grima
Director of Marketing and Communications
ALS Canada
905.248.2052 x234 [email protected]
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