RAKBANK and Coca-Cola Arena announced a five-year partnership today to facilitate seamless transactions for the arena visitors. The agreement solidifies RAKBANK’s role as a Founding Partner and an Official Retail Bank of Coca-Cola Arena. Through the partnership RAKBANK will provide innovative solutions to eager show attendees and offer eligible customers access to the Bank’s premier club, which will be known as the RAKBANK Premier Club and the RAKBANK Suite at the arena.

As the exclusive retail bank of the arena, RAKBANK will provide fully integrated and customer facing card acquiring services as visitors will enjoy faster, convenient & secure transaction experiences while buying tickets, shopping for fan merchandise, paying for their food and beverages and for any card and digital payment for other similar services. The Bank will also promote the region’s biggest indoor multipurpose arena as the key entertainment hub in Dubai to all its valued customers, facilitating access to best-in-class entertainment.

Peter England, RAKBANK CEO, said: “The collaboration with Coca-Cola Arena is a significant milestone for RAKBANK and its Personal Banking division. During the next five years we will deliver innovative payment integration across channels for a significant number of residents and visitors, in line with continuous innovation across our business. This partnership recognises our focus on digitizing our offering and providing best-in-class services for customers in the UAE. We look forward to embarking on this significant journey.”

Guy Ngata, AEG Ogden’s CEO of Coca-Cola Arena, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with RAKBANK as our Retail Banking Founding Partner. Aligning with visionary partners who see the customer journey and interaction as a core focus is paramount. The next five years will see RAKBANK enjoy a host of unique opportunities along with Coca-Cola Arena fans and visitors benefiting from RAKBANK’s vast experience and focus on innovation.”

Frederic de Melker, Managing Director of Personal Banking at RAKBANK added: “Our continuous focus on innovation means Coca-Cola Arena visitors will benefit from the digital and seamless payment gateway we have on hand. We offer an efficient and secure digital payment portal for any card along with a fully integrated customer facing card acquiring service that enables visitors to purchase tickets for all the shows in just a few clicks, save time queuing at the concession stands or shop effectively for their favourite merchandise at the Arena. Lastly, eligible customers will enjoy the venue facilitating access to best-in-class entertainment through our RAKBANK Premier Club, RAKBANK Suite and hospitality tickets throughout the year.”

Coca-Cola Arena, the region’s biggest indoor multipurpose arena, will have a capacity of 17,000 spectators. The arena, owned by Meraas, will be capable of hosting large scale live events 365 days and is set to open in June 2019.