Latin-American bank North International Bank has signed a four-year regional sponsorship with LaLiga club Atlético Madrid.
Based in Antigua and Barbuda, NIBank issues payment cards in South America and the Caribbean and owns the license to develop and commercialise Mastercard and UnionPay international cards.
Under the deal, NIBank aims to increase the use of the above payment cards with the club’s followers.
Jordán Silva Tugues, chairman of the board, said: “The purpose of developing payment instruments with the image of the Spanish football club is to strengthen the relationship with the ‘Rojiblancos’ fans in the region.”
NIBank has issued over one million physical payment instruments in the last decade, from prepaid, credit and payroll cards to gift cards and other options.
The regional deal will run alongside the club’s Official Bank partnership with CaixaBank. The second-tier partner deal was renewed in December 2017 for five years until the end of the 2021-22 season.
The NIBank deal is thought to be first regional deal sold by the club, which is looking to increase its international partnership profile under Maximilian Haschke, the club’s head of sponsorship and international strategy.