UFJ Nicos Co. and DC Card Co. said Thursday they will merge on April 1, 2007, into Japan's second-largest credit card firm with a combined 32 million members.

UFJ Nicos, a unit of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group Inc., will be the surviving company, but the new one will maintain the Nicos, UFJ Card and DC card brands because they are well-established, the companies said.

The nation's credit-card industry is led by JCB Co.