Bank of China assist FC Bayern Munich’s Asia presence

German football giants FC Bayern Munich and the Industrial Bank of China (CIB) have agreed on a regional partnership to help strengthen Bayern’s presence in Asia.

As part of the launch, Bayern and CIB will release co-branded credit cards in China along with fan events in Beijing during major Bundesliga matches.

Chen Jinguang, CIB Vice-President, spoke about the importance for sport and finance to stand “shoulder-to-shoulder” in China and the deal acts as another milestone for the bank.

He said: “For us, the cooperation between the CIB and FC Bayern is a symbol of the Chinese goal of further developing football and promoting cultural exchange between China and Germany in the spirit of the “One belt, one road” initiative. We are therefore now making our contribution too.”

FC Bayern Munich opened an office in Shanghai in 2016 and has shown its clear intentions with the Asia market, running initiatives for youth development, fan events and travelling to major Chinese cities for friendly matches.

The partnership between the German side and CIB – China’s largest bank – includes other bonuses such as the use of exclusive branding rights, meet & greets, and fan trips to the Allianz Arena.

Rouven Kasper, FC Bayern Munich Managing Director in China, commented: “We are proud to welcome CIB as our new partner and will work together to deliver very special activities for our fans in China.

“This was the case, for example, with today’s announcement of our cooperation, which was simultaneously announced via LED screens at the most important landmarks in the five largest Chinese cities. Through our individualised FC Bayern credit cards our fans have a new and great opportunity to express their passion and support for FC Bayern.”

Founded in 1988, the Industrial Bank of China is one of the 30 largest banks in the world with almost 70 million customers at the present time.

In the announcement CIB stated that it has recently developed a new marketing strategy in an attempt to establish itself “as a sports marketing pioneer in the financial market”.

During the FC Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund Bundesliga game on April 6, CIB will organise its first fan event in Beijing in collaboration with FC Bayern.

Wang Yu, general manager of the CIB Credit Card Center, noted: “FC Bayern München is very popular in China and offers us the perfect platform for brand cooperation.

“The introduction of co-branded credit cards is only the first step in our strategic partnership. We want to use the FC Bayern cards as a bridge to offer our customers who are ardent football fans more service and convenience.”