Emirates NBD and Manchester United Football Club sign historic partnership

4 Min | 08 September 2013

Emirates NBD and Manchester United Football Club sign historic partnership

Bank launches Co-branded Master Card Credit and Prepaidcards in the UAEin 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 agreementwith 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 theEmirates 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 partnershipwith Aon, Nike, Chevrolet, Bulova, DHL, Epson, to name just a few.In addition, Manchester United also has commercial relationships withleadingglobalfinancial institutions such asSantander, Maybank, Standard Bank andDanamon.

SuvoSarkar, 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 Master Card Credit and Prepaid Cardholders will get a chance to win priceless experiences including official Manchester United signed memorabilia and 60fully paid trips every season to the 'Theatre of Dreams', Old Trafford, to watch the champions play. In addition, cardholders mayalso win a 2014 Chevrolet Camaro every quarter, in addition to enjoying attractive offers and privileges at Chevrolet.

Cardholders will also earn upto 10x Red Points for all transactions made on their cards. Red Points can be redeemed for a wide range of attractive offers including exclusive ManchesterUnited 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 Master Card Credit and Prepaid Cards will play an important role in bringing togetherall 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 sportinginstitution," 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 UAEas a global leader in supportinga variety ofsocial, 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 ManchesterUnitedfan 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.

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