CRDB Bank and Visa brings Innovative payment experiences to FIFA World Cup

By: | Blog | October 11, 2024 01:40

Qatar, 3rd December 2022 - As sports fans and spectators worldwide celebrate the FIFA World Cup 2022, Tanzania's leading bank, CRDB Bank, and Visa International, FIFA's official payment technology partner, have had another opportunity to demonstrate how their collaboration has resulted in revolutionary payment services and financial inclusion. The FIFA World Cup offers the two giants a chance to display their cutting-edge payment solutions while also enhancing the fan experience in Qatar. The Bank's TemboCard Visa cards are widely used by Tanzanians to make purchases at FIFA World Cup venues, hotels, restaurants, and on public transit around Qatar. "CRDB Bank is proud to partner with Visa to enable football fans who have had the opportunity to experience the thrill and excitement of the world cup to easily make payments through TemboCard Classic, Gold, Platinum, and Infinite. The cards offers a variety of value-added services to customers," said Abdulmajid Nsekela, Group CEO of CRDB Bank, during the business meeting hosted by Visa in Qatar. The partnership between CRDB Bank and Visa is regarded as one of the most important in driving financial inclusion and promoting a cashless economy in Tanzania. In 2014, the two companies joined forces to launch a co-branded debit card dubbed TemboCard Visa, the first card in the country to enable customers to access services wherever they are, locally and internationally. Nsekela notes that the bank has been spending a lot of time and effort, in conjunction with Visa, to streamline banking services and broaden financial inclusion among people who have traditionally had no access to banking or financial services. People were informed on how TemboCard Visa uses ATMs, points of sale, and online shopping platforms to connect users with their accounts wherever they are. "We have so far connected with over 4 million customers via our card services, the vast majority of whom are TemboCard Visa." Our goal is to enable customers to access services at any time and from any location. Customers were initially hesitant to open an account because, to access it, you had to visit the branch. "Our collaboration with Visa changed that by making services accessible," he elaborated. Nsekela says that the use of TemboCard Visa has more than doubled in recent years as a result of investments in alternative service delivery channels such as CRDB Agency to reach most citizens. Currently, the bank has over 25,000 CRDB Wakala points where customers can use their TemboCard and SimBanking to access services. "We have included many Tanzanians in the official banking system, thanks to our partners, including Visa." "Our collaboration with Visa has also brought about a significant revolution in Tanzania's payment system by enabling customers to pay for services and purchases using their cards, as is happening here in Qatar," he continued. The integration of digital payment systems is one of the aspects of the two entities' cooperation that has made it possible for companies and institutions across the country to accept payments by card and QR Code system. This technology has expedited payments and enhanced the efficiency of tax collection by integrating more than 4,000 corporate and public institutions. As part of a campaign that CRDB Bank launched earlier this year to encourage the adoption of these digital payment options and support the government's efforts to establish a cashless economy, four TemboCard Visa customers were granted entrance to the historic athletic event. The selected customers received an invaluable and unforgettable experience that included flights, visas, accommodations, and FIFA World Cup tickets, as well as the opportunity to enjoy so much more with TemboCard Visa. The CRDB Bank’s delegation in Qatar was able to visit innovation centers as part of its invitation to the FIFA World Cup 2022 as one of Visa's main partners. They also had a chance to witness group stage matches between Argentina and Poland, as well as Japan versus Spain. About CRDB Bank Plc CRDB Bank Plc is one of the East Africa’s leading banks, serving individuals, micro, small & middle businesses and large corporations with a full range of Retail, Treasury, Insurance, Trade Finance, Syndications, Premier Banking, Agriculture and Microfinance services.

CRDB Bank is the first bank in Tanzania to be rated amongst the top ten stable and safer to invest African banks by the world’s most respected rating agency, Moodys Investors Services. Moodys rated CRDB Bank with a “B1 stable outlook” which is the highest rating to have been acquired by banks or financial institutions in Sub Saharan Africa. UN Green Climate Fund accredits CRDB Bank since November 2019 and Global Finance recognizes it as the Best Bank in Tanzania for the year 2020.

CRDB Bank provides unmatched convenience in Tanzania and Burundi serving more than 4 million customers with a large footprint of 268 branches, 22,000 CRDB Wakala, over 550 ATMs, over 1,800 merchants and a 24/7 Call Centre.