The signing ceremony, held at the club’s premises in Muharraq was attended by Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa – Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Muharraq SC, Jamal Al-Hazeem – Chief Executive Officer BMI Bank, Eyad Sater – General Manager Support Services BMI Bank, Somu Roy Vice President and Market Manager Bahrain, MasterCard and Khalid Juman board member at Muharraq SC.
“The Muharraq club brand is one of the most recognized names in the GCC sporting world with a large fan base who look for unique ways to show their loyalty to the club. We believe that through the launch of this exclusive first of its kind co-branded credit card, we have managed to deliver yet another first for the club,” Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa – Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Muharraq SC, said.
“BMI Bank has over the years developed a strong identity, reputation and customer base within the country through the launch of several innovative products and services and we are glad to find a true partner in them to bring this product to our customers.”
“In line with our commitment to continue to introduce value based products and services that stem from our customer-centric focus, I am delighted to sign this momentous agreement with Muharraq club, the oldest and most prestigious sporting club in the GCC. The Muharraq club Titanium credit card will be Bahrain’s first ever co-branded credit card that rewards customers with a host of special and unique benefits as well as provides an opportunity for fans to show their loyalty to the club,” Jamal Al-Hazeem, Chief Executive Officer of BMI Bank said.
“The credit card also marks our first collaborative effort with MasterCard, a leading technology company in the global payments industry. We see the unveiling of the Muharraq club MasterCard Titanium Card as a beginning of a long and productive partnership.”
“Co-branded cards are gaining increasing popularity among today’s consumers who look for products and services that simplify their lives and express their individuality. With the launch of the Muharraq club Titanium MasterCard Credit Card, Bahrain’s first ever affinity credit card, we are introducing another market first. We are confident that this new product, which offers a host of unique benefits and creates strong resonance among sports fans, will help generate higher interest in electronic payments solutions in the Kingdom,” Somu Roy – Market Manager – Bahrain, MasterCard, said.
“At MasterCard, we are delighted to collaborate with two of Bahrain’s leading institutions, BMI Bank and Muharraq SC, as it reflects our seamless collaboration with prominent entities across various sectors and industries.”
BMI Bank has the unique distinction of launching the country’s first ever co-branded credit card “La Carte” with Geant Hypermarket as well as the country’s first ever savings scheme prize based credit card “Ayadi Plus” that offers customers who swipe with it the chance to win up to USD 1.8 million in Bank’s flagship saving scheme product Ayadi. The credit card along with a list of specific benefits and a detailed annual rewards program and is expected to roll out shortly.
Muharraq SC, based in Muharraq, is the oldest sports club in the GCC having been founded in 1928. Whilst the club has a strong and rich history of sport victories and recognition including Basketball and Volleyball, its greatest following is in football where the club has won the Bahrain Football Premier League title 31 times. Similar to the trend in most countries, the national team players usually comprise a chunk of players from Muharraq SC including the Captain of the Bahrain National team Mohamed Salmeen, Rashid Al Dossary and Ebrahim Al Mishkhas.
The football team most recently won the 2013 King’s Football cup whilst the Basketball team was runners up in the Super Cup, the traditional season-opening fixture of the Bahrain Basketball League, played between the previous season’s league champions and the Bahrain Basketball Association Cup winners.