Moscow, Moscow -- (SBWire) -- 08/29/2010 -- As of the end of the reporting period Uniastrum issued more than 782,000 Visa and MasterCard cards, expanding its plastic card portfolio almost 40%

Uniastrum Bank issued around 72,000 payment cards with authorized overdraft facilities as of July 1, 2010. In H110 its overall credit card portfolio expanded 39% to Rb 2.5 bn. In the same period, the lender gave out more than 80,000 cards. The number of cards issued under personal loan schemes increased 7-fold year-on-year, totaling around 17,000. Uniastrum continued to forge ahead with its payroll programs, giving out more than 50,000 cards, evidencing conspicuous success in this area of business.

The Bank’s first-half results point to reinvigorated demand for unsecured retail loans. In the reporting period, Uniastrum issued some RB 950 mn in unsecured loans, more than doubling its unsecured credit portfolio to over Rb 2.4 bn as of July 1, 2010.

As of the same date, Uniastrum’s in-house ATM network totaled 674 cash machines, including 63 with deposit function, and around 1,300 terminals in sales and service outlets. Since 2008, the Bank has been a member of the United Settlement System, which integrates some 6,500 ATMs.

Meantime, Uniastrum is bolstering its positions on the credit and debit card market, offering low interest rates on debit cards, and easy terms and minimum application formalities to credit card customers. Uniastrum Bank has been assigned Principal Member Status by Visa International, and is an affiliate member of the MasterCard payment system.

“Cards are one the Bank’s strategic development priorities,” says Elena Shustova, Director of Uniastrum’s Bank Card and Consumer Credit Development and Sales Department. “Consistently upgrading our technology and offering competitive rates and new lending options all but guarantees us solid results and allows us to set ambitious goals that will ensure Uniastrum secures a position at the forefront of the country’s card market.”

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