Hong Kong – The pandemic has prompted countries around the world to introduce travel restrictions and containment measures. However, these implementations cannot stop eager travelers to resume planning their travel preparations. 

A new range of credit cards by Standard Chartered, Cathay, and Mastercard has been launched to enable travelers to earn more prestigious privileges and enjoy a higher level of banking and travel experiences offered by the new credit card series.

A multi-platform campaign has been developed by TBWA\Hong Kong in support of the new card series – ‘Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Credit Cards’.

The theme of the campaign centers around ‘Get Ready for New Heights’, the over one-minute ad features famous South Korean actor Song Joong-Ki, and renowned Hong Kong lyricist Wyman Wong. It captures the actor explaining the card series’ many offers and privileges through various ads, encouraging the lyricist to plan his future banking and travel experiences.

The three new cards in the series are ‘Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Credit Card’, ‘Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Credit Card – Priority Banking’, and ‘Standard Chartered Cathay Mastercard Credit Card – Priority Private’, which recognize different banking segments. The card series replaces the existing ‘Standard Chartered Asia Miles Mastercard Credit Card’.

Cardholders can still earn Asia Miles directly by using banking services only from Standard Chartered, while Priority Banking and Priority Private cardholders can also enjoy complimentary Cathay Pacific Business Class Lounge access, priority check-in and boarding services, or limited Marco Polo Club Silver or Gold membership during the promotional period.

“With the pandemic delaying travel plans and creating a growing sense of wanderlust, the campaign invites people to get a head-start on their travel preparations with an elevated card experience to earn miles faster and more easily than ever,” said Terence Ling, the head of strategy at TBWA\Hong Kong.

Meanwhile, TBWA\Hong Kong’s Managing Director Jan Cho commented that they wanted to tap into the booming popularity of K-dramas, and use the allure of Korea as a travel destination.

“However, due to pandemic travel restrictions, overseas filming was no longer possible, and forced us to quickly adapt to a new way of working. I’m very proud of our team, and the production team in Korea, for working remotely and cohesively to bring this campaign to life,” said Cho.

Developed together with media support by Carat Hong Kong and iProspect Hong Kong, the campaign includes TVC, out-of-home, and print, as well as online, and social media.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Credit Guarantee Corporation (CGC) Malaysia, a subsidiary of Bank Negara Malaysia, and banking institution Standard Chartered Malaysia have announced the availability of RM70M in capital to aid small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia.

Under a Portfolio Guarantee (PG) agreement, the financing facility is expected to help ease the burdens of SMEs and sustain their business as they recover from the effects of the pandemic. The agreement brings the total amount of tranches jointly launched by both parties to RM1.71B.

The launch of this tranche is timely as it will provide SMEs with the opportunity to revitalize their businesses. Furthermore, The Portfolio Guarantee comes on the back of several financing initiatives announced by the government tailored specifically for SMEs.

“I am pleased to share that this Standard Chartered-CGC RM70 million PG aims to provide working capital for SMEs with viable business but lack collaterals to obtain the required credit facility, more now during this phase of revitalizing and reforming Malaysia’s economy,” said Datuk Mohd Zamree Mohd Ishak, president, and CEO at CGC.

Meanwhile, Abrar A. Anwar, managing director and CEO at Standard Chartered Malaysia, commented that SMEs have shown great resilience despite being one of the hardest-hit sectors during the pandemic, and that their agility is key to their resilience, allowing them to quickly transform their businesses to adapt to new ways of doing business.

He also stated that as more and more businesses leverage on technology, the financing facility will be timely in financing their digital transformation and penetration of new markets, accelerated during the course of the pandemic, and is used not just as a means to thrive in the new normal but also to keep up with evolving customer demands.

“We understand that our clients have unique needs and we want to ensure they have access to the assistance they need ranging from payment deferrals to interest-only repayments and debt restructuring which will not be reflected in their record. Our focus is on ensuring they are informed of the options available to them and that we are operationally prepared to provide much needed financing,” Anwar added.