Emirates NBD and Manchester United Football Club sign historic partnership
Bank launches Co-branded MasterCard Credit and Prepaid cards in the UAE in partnership with Manchester United Football Club
Dubai, September 18, 2013: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the region, announced today that it had signed an agreement with Manchester United Football Club to be its exclusive financial partner in the UAE for a period of 5 years. Launching this historic partnership, Emirates NBD unveiled the Emirates NBD Manchester United Co-branded MasterCard Credit and Prepaid Cards.
This deal means that Emirates NBD joins an exclusive family of Manchester United sponsors which includes some of the world’s most prestigious brands. The club, itself one of the most recognised brands in global sports, is already in partnership with Aon, Nike, Chevrolet, Bulova, DHL, Epson, to name just a few. In addition, Manchester United also has commercial relationships with leading global financial institutions such as Santander, Maybank, Standard Bank and Danamon.
Suvo Sarkar, General Manager – Retail Banking, Emirates NBD said, “As one of the most popular sports in the world, football instantly touches the hearts of millions. Working with one of the giants of this beautiful game offers us an important platform to connect emotionally to the millions of fans.”
“As the leading bank in the region, Emirates NBD is delighted to partner with a global brand like Manchester United; a household name in the UAE with a huge residential fan base. This partnership provides the perfect stage for the launch of a card which will enable fans to connect further with one of the most exciting brands in world football,” he added.
Emirates NBD Manchester United MasterCard Credit and Prepaid Cardholders will get a chance to win priceless experiences including official Manchester United signed memorabilia and 60 fully paid trips every season to the ‘Theatre of Dreams’, Old Trafford, to watch the champions play. In addition, cardholders may also win a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro every quarter, in addition to enjoying attractive offers and privileges at Chevrolet.
Cardholders will also earn up to 10x Red Points for all transactions made on their cards. Red Points can be redeemed for a wide range of attractive offers including exclusive Manchester United merchandise, gift vouchers, cash back and miles from leading frequent flyer programs.
Apart from these outstanding benefits, cardholders will also enjoy attractive discounts of up to 30% across 600 restaurants in the UAE, discounts of 10% at the Manchester United Mega store, free annual subscription to Sport 360 newspaper and much more.
Manchester United’s Group Managing Director, Richard Arnold comments:
“We are proud to be partnering with Emirates NBD as this will give our fans in the UAE another platform to engage with the best club in the world. The Club has always had fantastic support from our fans in the Middle East and we are pleased to be able to offer them such a fantastic product.”
“Emirates NBD being the largest bank in the UAE, clearly has strong synergies with Manchester United. They are an ambitious bank that is committed to promoting responsible credit and we are looking forward to a strong and successful partnership,” he added.
The Manchester United Co-branded MasterCard Credit and Prepaid Cards will play an important role in bringing together all the Club’s supporters, children and adults alike, from across the UAE, who are already connected through a meaningful emotional bond.
“Sports brands have begun to influence consumer behaviour and more and more consumers have come to expect payment solutions to suit their lifestyles and reflect their interests,” said Eyad Al-Kourdi, Country Business Head, UAE, MasterCard. “We are delighted to be working with Emirates NBD to launch its co-branded card, which will generate strong resonance among football fans across the country.
“It is an honour to witness the signing of this historic partnership between Emirates NBD, one of the leading financial institutions in the UAE, and Manchester United, a world-renowned sporting institution,” said Ahmed Ibrahim, Marketing & Strategic Partnerships Manager at Dubai Sports Council.
“We are very pleased to be supporting this partnership, which aligns with our leadership’s vision to reconfirm Dubai and the UAE as a global leader in supporting a variety of social, economic and sports related initiatives,” he added.
Both the Credit and the Pre-paid cards will be issued as Chip and Pin cards for added security. As an introductory offer the annual fee of AED 250 has been waived to encourage the strong Manchester United fan base to get a card free for life. The Prepaid Card will be issued at a one-time fee of AED 75. Cardholders are also guaranteed to receive a gift box with exclusive Manchester United merchandize on activation and usage of the card.
About Emirates NBD:
Emirates NBD is a leading banking Group in the region. As at 30th June 2013, total assets were AED 334.8 billion. The Group has a leading retail banking franchise in the UAE, with 210 branches and over 901 ATMs and CDMs in the UAE and overseas. It is a major player in the UAE corporate and retail banking arena and has strong Islamic banking, Global Markets & Treasury, Investment Banking, Private Banking, Asset Management and Brokerage operations.
The Group has operations in the UAE, Egypt, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Jersey (Channel Islands), and representative offices in India, Iran and China.
The Group is an active participant and supporter of the UAE’s main development initiatives and of the various educational, environmental, cultural, charity and community welfare establishments.
For more information, please visit: www.emiratesnbd.com
About Manchester United
Manchester United is one of the most popular and successful sports teams in the world, playing one of the most popular spectator sports on Earth. Through our 135-year heritage we have won 62 trophies, enabling us to develop the world’s leading sports brand and a global community of 659 million followers. Our large, passionate community provides Manchester United with a worldwide platform to generate significant revenue from multiple sources, including sponsorship, merchandising, product licensing, new media & mobile, broadcasting and match day.
About DSC:
Dubai Sports Council has been established in 2005 by virtue of a resolution issued by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid AL Maktoum the Vice President & Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai aiming to develop the sports process in the Emirate of Dubai and to create full sports atmosphere to accommodate the society’s requirements and to give a chance for the new generations to upgrade their sports & cultural skills and to exploit the said skills to attain tangible results in the local & regional competitions.
The Council is chaired by H.H. Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, crown prince of Dubai, helped by a Deputy Chairman, secretary General & 11 members who enjoy high academic qualification & practical experience along with the ability to attain a dramatic jump in sport.
About MasterCard
MasterCard (NYSE: MA), www.mastercard.com, is a technology company in the global payments industry. We operate the world’s fastest payments processing network, connecting consumers, financial institutions, merchants, governments and businesses in more than 210 countries and territories. MasterCard’s products and solutions make everyday commerce activities – such as shopping, traveling, running a business and managing finances – easier, more secure and more efficient for everyone. Follow us on Twitter @MasterCardNews, @MasterCardMEA join the discussion on the Cashless Conversations Blog and subscribe for the latest news.
