OREANDA-NEWS. June 22, 2010. In July 2010 Unibank will launch own processing center with over USD1mln invested in this project. The decision to open the center was a response to the quick growth in retail business and customers demand. The center will help Unibank to issue more plastic cards, to offer more attractive terms to its customers and to improve the quality of its card services, reported the press-centre of Unibank.

"The center will allow us to carry out joint projects with manufacturers and trade networks. We have already reached preliminary agreements with a number of well-known companies for launching a loyalty program," say Unibank's Card Business Development Manager Mesrob Hakobyan.

This service is based on the idea of bonus points. By paying for different products and services a customer scores points in the form of money that goes to his card account. Thus, the companies involved in this project will be able to give back to their customers part of their money and, thereby, to show their loyalty to them.

The decision to build own processing center was adopted a year ago. Presently, the bank is testing necessary equipment.

The development of card business is one of the key strategies of Unibank for 2010. As of June 1 2010 the bank had issued over 43,900 cards, of which 32,984 were Visa cards. The bank has 69 bancomats. In the future it is planning to issue chip cards, to increase the number of its bancomats and POS terminals and to join the MasterCard system.