Spanish soccer champions Barcelona have brought in United Arab Emirates (UAE) financial institution Emirates Islamic as a new sponsor.
Through a deal unveiled yesterday, Emirates Islamic becomes the Catalan club's official commercial banking partner in its home market for the next two seasons, with the deal running through until June, 2028.
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The two parties are set to collaborate to launch a new product – the Emirates Islamic Barca Cashback Card, which will offer bank customers a rewards program.
This will include cashback on spending across categories, including sport, fuel, supermarket expenditure, and dining.
Cardholders will also be able to access Barcelona match tickets and merchandise.
The deal has been unveiled with Barcelona having been crowned title winners of Spain's top-tier LaLiga earlier this month, through a 2-0 victory against bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Marc Bruix, FC Barcelona's global partnerships director, has said: "For FC Barcelona, our fans are at the centre of everything we do. Thanks to our alliance with Emirates Islamic, we can offer our supporters in the UAE a new way to connect with the club in their daily lives."
Barcelona already have a significant presence in Dubai, through a youth-focused Football Academy in the Emirates that launched in 2008.
In terms of the club's overall commercial activity, meanwhile, late last month Barcelona extended their tie-up with European cryptocurrency brand WhiteBIT for another four years.
The club's list of main sponsors also includes Spotify (front-of-shirt and stadium naming rights partner) and Nike (kit supplier).
Through a deal now set to run until 2030, WhiteBIT will continue as the soccer giants' cryptocurrency exchange partner.
Mohammed Kamran Wajid, deputy chief executive at Emirates Islamic, added: "This partnership allows us to offer our customers a unique combination of rewarding financial benefits and extraordinary sporting experiences. The Emirates Islamic FC Barcelona co-branded card reflects our ongoing commitment to enhancing customer value through innovative and lifestyle-driven products.”
Barcelona claim to have around 17 million official fans in the UAE.
