OREANDA-NEWS. Alliance Bank announced having started serving Master Card International Payment System (IPS) cards via its ATM and POS-terminal network. According to the business plan provided to MasterCard International, the Bank is planning to issue approximately 30-50 thousand MasterCard payment cards by the end of this year, and around 800 thousand cards in 2008. 

MasterCard cardholders of Alliance Bank will enjoy the widest range services including traditional cash withdrawal at ATMs and payments in the trade and service outlets as well as obtaining and repaying express loans through cash-in ATMs, paying mobile phone and cable TV bills through the Bank’s acquiring network and many others.

Alliance Bank has started talks concerning possible cooperation with the International Payment System in January 2006. In the course of negotiations the Bank presented its card business development plans, including introduction of new products, card issuance and acquiring network expansion. As a result, in October 2006, MasterCard IPS made the decision to accept Alliance Bank as a Principal Member passing over the interim status of an Associate Member. Certification works of Alliance Bank took almost one year. During this period, with an extensive support of Compass Plus Company, processing center software system provider, the Bank   has encountered a huge work of infrastructure development, creation and adjustment of the direct data channel to the payment system, certification of the equipment (ATMs and payment terminals) and the card products.

MasterCard is one of the most popular payment systems worldwide, and has been operating in the market for over 40 years. Service network of MasterCard IPS covers over 210 countries all over the world, and the partners of this global payment system are 25 000 leading financial institutions. Currently only five Kazakhstan banks, including Alliance Bank participate in MasterCard IPS. The MasterCard product line in Alliance Bank consists of the following card types: Cirrus Maestro, MasterCard Unembossed, MasterCard Standard, MasterCard Business, MasterCard Gold and MasterCard Platinum.

Alliance Bank is one of the largest banks in Kazakhstan with 20% share of the retail lending market. Alliance Bank has an extensive network of acquiring devices, which currently comprises 380 ATMs, including 150 cash-in ATMs, as well as 145 POS-terminals in cash withdrawal points and 83 POS-terminals in outlets. The total number of cards issued by Alliance Bank is 280 thousand. The Bank has an extensive customer base of the more than 2 million.