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.