Citi Philippines and Action Against Hunger Cited for Prepaid Cards Issued to Sendong Victims
Manila, June 17, 2013 /3BL Media/ – Citi's partnership with Action Against Hunger (ACF International) was recognized as the Judges' Choice at the 2013 Paybefore Awards. This annual awards program recognizes excellence in the worldwide prepaid and emerging payments industry. Citi partnered with ACF International in customizing a prepaid card solution for a cash-based emergency intervention program.
In 2012 during the wake of typhoon Sendong, ACF approached Citi for a solution to provide emergency aid to more than 2,000 affected families. Contributions from ACF's major donors must be used exclusively to purchase food items in order to ensure that the financial aid was channeled towards alleviating hunger in a crisis situation. ACF wanted to ensure there will not be misappropriation of funds from its donors.
Citi customized the Citi ACF International: Action Against Hunger Prepaid Card, which supported ACF's high standards of accountability and transparency. Citi established a closed-loop system that enabled ACF to disburse the funds within a month of the calamity.
"It was a great opportunity for Citi to leverage our platform in the assistance of disaster-stricken beneficiaries. We were able to develop and implement the program in a short two weeks and the acceptance rate for all issued cards was 100 percent, providing essential support for vulnerable families," said Citi Country Officer for the Philippines Batara Sianturi.
According to Demosthenes Militante, Food Security and Livelihood Coordinator for ACF International, "Having experienced some challenges in the use of prepaid cards in the past, we have been very impressed by the reliability of Citi's program – the specific customization and the speed of implementation."
Citi has revolutionized payment delivery across private and non-government organizations through its prepaid card solution in the Philippines. Earlier this year, the Pag-IBIG Citi Prepaid Visa was launched, providing more than 12 million Pag-IBIG members a faster, more convenient way of receiving and using their loan proceeds. The Pag-IBIG Fund is Citi's first public sector client for Prepaid Cards in the country.
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