Alfa-Bank and the magazine Cosmopolitan present the first ever co-brand bank card for women in Russia Alfa-Bank - Cosmopolitan - Visa

Alfa-Bank — Cosmopolitan — Visa — is the first ever women’s’ bank card in Russia issued by Alfa-Bank together with the magazine Cosmopolitan — a leader in the market of glossy periodicals for young women. The product was designed specially to meet their personal needs and lifestyle of young women. This card is unique since it replaces a number of discount cards allowing consumers to use it for their purchases with substantial discounts in the top brand stores and studios, including those, which never conduct sales campaigns.

The holder of Alfa-Bank — Cosmopolitan — Visa is entitled to discounts up to 15 percent while using it for the purchase of goods and services in different stores of Moscow, cafes, spas studios, travel agencies, fitness clubs and other places. The members of the program include outlets and brands that are well-known and popular among young women, in particular, “Ile de Beaute”, “Shokoladnitsa”, “Persona LAB”, “DIXIS”, “Zolotaya strekoza”, “Benetton”, Glenfield, Sasch, “Estelle Adony”, NIKE, Motivi, “Krasny Kub”, Ozon.ru and many others, — some 30 partners in total. And, the list is constantly growing. Furthermore, each cardholder will have exclusive access to closed pre-sales campaigns in trade outlets-partners and to special occasions (fashion shows, concerts, new collections parade and etc.), as well as gifts from partners while accepting the card and effecting purchases.

Alfa-Bank — Cosmopolitan — Visa can serve as a debit and credit card. The Alfa-Bank — Cosmopolitan — Visa credit card provides for an interest free lending period for 60 days. The lending limit is from $3,000 to $12,000.

In addition to the principal card, Alfa-Bank will also issue Visa Mini — the first ever woman’s bank card in mini-card form in Russia. This card is almost twice as small as a standard card, but with it every transaction can be made also, except for cash withdrawal from a cash dispenser. The partners believe that the novelty is likely to become a popular accessory of Moscow’s fashionable women.

“The Russian banking sector has become more deliberate, with consumers demanding and receiving more choice and selection in banking products, -, therefore, „sector“ banking products aimed at a specific category of consumers are on the rise. It is a very dynamically developing business representing also an image project for us. To the year end, we plan to issue at least 10 thousand Alfa-Bank — Cosmopolitan — Visa cards, and in 2008 — to expand the scope of the project covering the largest Russian cities — Saint-Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, Samara, Nizhny Novgorod, Novosibirsk”, — underlined Sergei Malishev, Head of Strategic Partnership at Alfa-Bank.

“The launch of the bank card — is a brand new experience for a woman’s magazine. The Alfa-Bank — Cosmopolitan — Visa card has a number of advantages. The uniqueness of the offer, meeting expectations of a target audience, and a serious partner are the guarantee of success. We actually estimate this as a large-sale project that will allow us to increase the loyalty of our existing audience, attract new customers, and increase sources of revenue”, — noted Ekaterina Kabakchi, the publisher of Cosmopolitan magazines.

“Payment card Alfa-Bank — Cosmopolitan — Visa is a striking example of the individual Bank’s approach to work with their clients. Today, when there are more than 30 million Visa cards in circulation in Russia, our banks-members should not only offer a convenient payment means to their clients, but supplement it with additional functions to fit personal needs of the client. Let me congratulate the representatives of the fair sex with a new, stylish and useful Alfa-Bank’ Visa — Cosmopolitan card”, — noted Igor Gaidarzhi, Deputy Head of Business Development, representative office of Visa in Moscow.

Alfa-Bank and Aeroflot Programme win the MasterCard 2006 European Co-Brand Partners of the Year Award

MasterCard in Europe named the winners of the 2006 European Co-Brand Partners of the Year Award. The Aeroflot — MasterCard — Alfa-Bank programme was acknowledged as the “Best Launch in 2005/2006”.

The four best Co-Brand Partners of the Year were selected by a panel of independent judges.
The Alfa-Bank — Aeroflot loyalty programme was launched to cater to the growing number of frequent fliers traveling with Aeroflot, the Russian national airline. The Aeroflot — MasterCard — Alfa-Bank is offered in Standard, Gold and Platinum formats with a varied points reward structure on all MasterCard purchases. The cards offer an extensive grace period, a recent development in the Russian Credit card market, and compliment the reward scheme with a series of merchant offers such as discounts at selected restaurants, car rental and hotel partners. Initial signs are that the programme is greatly appreciated by Alfa-Bank and Aeroflot customers. This success is a testament to the close teamwork of the two partners.

The panel of judges noted that overall the programme seemed to fulfill everything that one would expect from the launch of such a card.

According to Commercial Manager at Aeroflot Alexey Sidorov, “the combined expertise of Alfa-Bank and Aeroflot — recognized business leaders — assures the success of this product in the Russian market, as the card extends the range of products for both Aeroflot’s and the Bank’s customers”.

Head of Retail Business at Alfa-Bank Viktor Bashkirov commented at the awards ceremony. “At present the programme certainly meets all expectations placed on the launch of this Co-Brand Card. The Bank’s leading specialists were involved in the project to develop the concept and elaborate its marketing strategy. Alfa-Bank was among the first Russian banks to be awarded by MasterCard for the issuance of a loyalty Co-Brand Card that enables customers to enjoy the benefits of similar programmes operating successfully in the West”.

According to the Head of MasterCard Europe’s office in Russia Andrey Korolev, “Russian banks are showing clear progress in the development of co-branding, and I congratulate Alfa-Bank and Aeroflot on their victory in this prestigious contest, in which leading European companies and banks traditionally participate. The partners have managed to design a brand new product. Aeroflot — MasterCard — Alfa-Bank cardholders may now obtain free tickets while traveling, as well as enjoy varied discounts with no need to travel frequently with Aeroflot or essentially change their habits — it is enough merely to use the card for everyday purchases”.

Time to travel with a new Alfa Bank card!

Alfa Bank, Aeroflot and MasterCard announced today the launch of a new service for travel-lovers, a co-brand card. This service will bring a new range of benefits to Alfa Bank and Aeroflot clients. The service welcome new members to Aeroflot Bonus Programme and helps Programme Members to earn valuable miles every time they use their Aeroflot-MasterCard-Alfa-Bank card for payment.

Aeroflot Bonus Members can use their miles to obtain two types of Travel Awards — Upgrades when they are traveling on business, and Free Tickets for them and their family to make leisure trips. Miles can be earned exclusively for travel on scheduled Aeroflot-Russian Airlines flights and Aeroflot Bonus Partner Airlines flights or through the purchase of applicable service from Aeroflot Bonus Partners, according to agreements between a Partner and Aeroflot Bonus.

Today, this service is available to Alfa-Bank Moscow-based customers, while in the nearest future this co-brand card will be offered to the customers in regions.

«This new co-brand card gives our clients an opportunity to realize their most exciting dreams and wishes while traveling. And it is perfectly well designed especially for frequent traveling Gold and Silver cards holders,» says Viktor Bashkirov, Head of Alfa-Bank's Retail Business and Member of the Executive Board.

«This is an excellent example of the mutually beneficial cooperation between our companies. We see it as a new step to deliver the best quality services meeting the life style of our clients», noted Peter Aven, President of Alfa-Bank, Valery Okulov, General Director of JSC «Aeroflot» and Bella Stavchanski, Senior Vice President of MasterCard Europe in Central and Eastern Europe at the press-conference in Moscow on Thursday January 26.

For more information please contact:

Aeroflot
Irina Dannenderg
Tel. +7 495 752-90-71

MasterCard
Maria Sinitsyna
Tel. +7 495 937-77-10

Alfa-Bank together with the World Wildlife Fund launched international plastic card Visa Classic

Alfa-Bank together with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) — Russia issued the Visa Alfa Bank Express — WWF Russia co-brand card. This card enables the Bank’s customers to make their contribution to wildlife conservation in Russia: 0,3% of the amount of each purchase effected with the use of the card shall be transferred at the expense of the Bank to WWF, which will allocate these funds to environmental projects.

The new card “Visa Alfa Bank Express — WWF Russia” can serve as a main or supplementary debit card to the Bank’s customer tariff plan “Class!”, “Style”, “Status” and “Corporate”. To obtain the card customers only need to call the Telephone center on tel.+7 (095) 78-888-78 or approach any branch of Alfa Bank Express.

The Visa Alfa Bank Express — WWF Russia card also can be used as a usual means of payment to everyday purchases and cash withdrawal, both in Russia and abroad. Additionally, discounts of the Bank’s partners apply to the card.

In addition, Alfa-Bank allows its customers to transfer a one-off contribution to WWF Russia, and fill-in a standing order for an automatic transfer of some amount in favor of WWF Russia.
If the amount of contributions has exceeded 300 rubles during the year the Bank’s customer will be posted the WWF Russia supporter certificate, booklet “Welcome” and will become a member of the WWF’s “Panda” contributors group. If the contribution amount has exceeded 3,000 rubles during the year the Bank’s customer shall be awarded an honorary status “Earth keeper”. Each “keeper” will receive the “Silver Panda” badge, an individual certificate and a chance to participate in the WWF activities that include trips to reserves and national parks of Russia.

“The issue of the co-brand card with Alfa-Bank is a unique project of WWF in Russia. With this initiative we strive to draw attention of people towards the environment preservation”, — noted Alexander Gafin, a Member of the Board of Directors at Alfa-Bank.

The issue of the Visa Alfa Bank Express — WWF Russia co-brand card became possible due to the technological redesign of the SmartVista software that forms a base of the Bank’s processing center. The works were accomplished by the company Banking Production Center (BPC).

MasterCard officially affirms stable operation of Alfa-Bank's MasterCard plastic cards

Due to a number of refusals to serve Alfa-Bank’s MasterCard plastic cards, the international payment system MasterCard states that there has been no operations blocked using Alfa-Bank’s MasterCard plastic cards.

All the valid Alfa-Bank’s MasterCard plastic cards are continuing to operate in a normal business order both using the bank’s retail network and through ATMs in Alfa-Bank’s branches and in other banks in Russia and abroad.

Alfa-Bank has always met and will continue to meet all its financial obligations in full, including those on operations through the use of plastic cads.