Citibank EMEA has won the Long-Term Achievement Award in co-branding from MasterCard Worldwide. Presented at the 9^th Annual MasterCard Europe Affinity & Co-Branding Conference in Malta, the jury said the award recognized Citibank for its continual success and development of co-branded cards with a particularly strong portfolio of airlines across the industry.

Co-brands play a major role in Citi's card strategy, with more than 60% of new cards coming from its partnerships, more than 200 co-brand partnerships globally and more than 50 partnerships with major global and European brand leaders in its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.

Head of Product Management and Business Development for Citi's EMEA cards business, Kahina Van Dyke, accepted the award and said Citibank was focused on growing its cards business in the region: "Our strong partnerships across the region are a key driver of growth as we work to deliver a clear value proposition for our partners, but we also understand that delivering customers a relevant product is the reason they choose to have a Citibank credit card."

Citi currently issues co-brand credit cards across nearly all the EMEA countries in which it does business, from the Nordics to Egypt and from the U.K. to Russia. With partnerships with leading industry names like Vodafone, O2, T-Mobile, BP, Shell, Lufthansa, Malév, bmibaby and easyJet, Citibank EMEA Cards has created long-term links with key players across a number of industries, as well as building a number of established partnerships with large retailers, airport shops and duty free that provide convenient usage and redemption.

The MasterCard jury recognized that Citi has continuously developed and delivered across all of its partner segments and become adept at building brand loyalty and accelerating points input as well as putting in place channels that are both effective and appropriate for consumers.

This recognition was echoed by Citi's partners in Hungary. Peter Leonov, Chief Executive Officer of Malév Zrt. said, "Malév and Citibank Zrt. launched the Malév-Citibank co-branded credit card two years ago, a product that was unique of its kind in the Hungarian market at that time. Basis for this partnership on Malév's side was the renewed business strategy of the Malév Duna Club Frequent Flyer Program. This partnership with Citibank provided benefits both to our passengers and our airline so we can call the Malév-Citibank co-branded card a "win-win-win" product for all parties, especially for Malév-passengers."

Balázs Erényi, Head of Retail Business in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Hungary at Shell said, "Our relationship with Citibank is very important because it means working with an established global leader in personal financial services whose credit card expertise, customer service and reliability are proven in over 50 countries worldwide. People want the freedom to travel by car and we understand that fuel makes up a good part of monthly spending, this is why we designed the Shell MasterCard from Citibank to help our customers get more out of their household budgets."

Batara Sianturi, Citi Country Officer for Hungary said, "As the pioneers in the Hungarian market with launching the first real credit card ten years ago, we are very proud to continue to be a leader in innovation in the credit card market in Hungary, and to have contributed this way to Citi winning the prestigious MasterCard Long-Term Achievement Award in the EMEA region."