Access Bank Plc, a leading deposit money bank (DMB) in Nigeria, has unveiled two new consumer credit cards – the Access Bank American Express Gold Card and the Metal Platinum Card – to enhance its offering to retail and private bank customers in Nigeria.
With the launching the cards, which are the first American Express cards to be issued in Nigeria and West Africa, the lender has further expanded electronic transactions opportunities for its customers to enjoy the Membership Rewards loyalty programme and a wide range of travel and lifestyle benefits.
Commenting on the launch of the two American Express cards, Access Holdings’ Group Managing Director, Herbert Wigwe, said the cards would be available by request and invitation and customers who had signified interest who would begin to enjoy the usage from yesterday.
He explained: “We are a bank of many firsts. We do have a wide network and with this partnership, AMEX will have 60 million customers supporting this partnership. It is a massive endorsement for us to work with AMEX in this partnership.
Also, the bank’s Managing Director/CEO, Roosevelt Ogbonna, said: “The launch of American Express Cards in Nigeria is another milestone in the continued development of a vibrant and fast-growing payments industry. Customers want more than transactions – they want real value.
“With American Express, we can provide valuable card benefits, strong loyalty rewards, and a real reason to use electronic payments instead of cash. By diversifying our services to facilitate payments, we can connect more consumers to the SMEs and retail businesses across the country who we know are the engine of economic growth”, Ogbonna added.
Speaking on his company’s partnership with the Nigerian lender, President, Global Network Services at American Express, Mohammed Badi, said: “By granting Access Bank a license to launch the first-ever American Express Cards in Nigeria, American Express’ presence in Africa is becoming even more vibrant. The Access Bank American Express Gold Card and the metal Platinum Card enhance the credit card experience in Nigeria with special benefits, access, and service – for Card members both in Nigeria and when travelling overseas.”
In her remarks during the launch, Vice President and General Manager, Network Partnerships EMEA, American Express, Briana Wisley, said: “Across Nigeria and in West Africa, Access Bank has a great record of expertise and innovations in the payment space. And this is why we are excited to have them as the issuing partner for this product in Nigeria and West Africa. So it is very exciting for both of us.
“We are a globally integrated payments company and one of the world’s largest card issuers. We are happy with Access Bank and we give customers access to products, insights and experiences that make life better and help grow business value. Today, we have more than 135 million cards globally. You can use them in over eight million locations in 198 countries and territories.
“So you can see that we are a global brand and we are glad that Access Bank customers are now going to enjoy all the benefits of having AMEX cards. One of our key objectives is to continue expanding that scale and relevance globally. And we do this in many ways by investing to modernize the AMEX network by launching innovative products and granting licenses to financial institutions like Access Bank, which can issue cards and grant access to our cards to millions of merchants”, Wisley added.
It would be recalled that in 2019, Access Bank signed an agreement with American Express to start acquiring merchants, enabling businesses across the country to accept payments from international American Express Cards. The bank is now ready to issue the first American Express credit cards in West Africa.
