ABSA, one of South Africa’s leading banking companies, has made an exciting card reveal, launching a new card face embossed with an African basket weave design.
Speaking to The Star, Alexander Tshipi, Absa head of card issuing, said the new card designs were co-created with more than 2000 customers and front-line staff.
Speaking about about the significance of designs and the benefits that customers can embrace, Tshipi said: “The last time we designed cards was in 2017 when we relaunched the brand. There is so much that has changed since then in terms of trends, card design and the value customers want and expect from the bank. If you look at the card design, let’s say between 18 and 30% of our customers consider that in a decision, while other customers look at the brand and the fact that we are a brand that is trusted with how it operates a pan-African bank. And the value that you could get in terms of free rewards we launched.”
Christine Wu, managing executive: consumer product, Absa Everyday Banking, said: “As consumers and captains of our destinies, we always strive to transcend the conventional, we want the ability to make choices and have experiences that will add meaningful value to our lives and elevate us to a next level lifestyle.
“Next level banking is designed to help you achieve that and much more. More safe and secure banking through a range of superior digital payments including contactless payments, which continue to attract customer confidence so much so that Absa's digital payments segment grew 154% in the first six months of this year, supported by our best-in-class capabilities and Digital Fraud Warrant. Our bank card is also a gateway to Absa's best value for money banking.
“We empower our customers, one story at a time but enable the small day-to-day things, one tap at a time. Our new card design integrates the rich meaning of our purpose and the powerful proposition in a single manifestation.”
The new card face embossed with an African basket weave design, a powerful representation of Absa’s interconnected pan-African presence, will be issued across segments: youth and entry-level through to wealthy clients.
Smart-metal cards will initially be available to Private Banking and Wealth clients and availability to other segments will be considered at a later stage.