OREANDA-NEWS. September 14, 2009. A new survey by banking web portal CREDCARD.RU shows Uniastrum to be the nation’s 5th most trusted plastic card provider, reported the press-centre of Uniastrum Bank.

VISA and MasterCard issuer Uniastrum Bank is a leading player on the Russian bank card market. As of September 1, 2009, the lender gave out more than 665,000 cards, with respective account balances topping Rb 1.8 bn. This year saw Uniastrum move ahead with a program to commission ATMs with deposit function and cash deposit machines (CDMs), bringing their current number to 42.

Uniastrum Bank’s credit card portfolio grew 60% YTD, weighing in at over Rb 1.2 bn as of September 1, 2009, inclusive of repaid earlier loans. Over 8M09 Uniastrum issued over Rb 1.1 bn in card credits, while plastic-card personal loans totaled around Rb 900 mn, or 54% more than in FY08. Overall, the Bank’s personal loan portfolio expanded 58% YTD, tipping the scales at over Rb 1.2 bn as of September 1, 2009.

Uniastrum Bank continues to cement its positions on the credit card market, offering customers payment cards with pre-agreed overdraft (revolving credit) facilities of up to Rb 1 mn, interest rates ranging from 19.9% to 23.9% APR (depending on the card type), and the smallest amount of paperwork and formalities (passport and 2 supporting documents) when applying for a spending limit of up to Rb 150,000. Minimum payment installments amount to 3-7% of the total loan debt as of the last calendar day of the preceding month.

A key hallmark of Uniastrum’s card business is its strong emphasis on programs that encourage businesses and sole proprietors to pay employees via payroll card accounts. So far, the Bank has sealed more than 2,000 payroll card agreements with employers and issued around 300,000 cards.

Uniastrum issues cards which are used to pay salaries and other compensations, as well as prepaid student cards. As an added bonus for corporate clients, Uniastrum payroll cardholders enjoy preferential overdraft facilities, including lower interest rates, a spending limit equal to 7 wage payments, and even easier application formalities requiring nothing more than a passport as proof of identity.

Uniastrum Bank payroll cardholders are able to withdraw cash at NO EXTRA CHARGE at over 700 Uniastrum-brand ATMs throughout the Russian Federation. For the record, inclusive of ATMs owned by partner banks party to the United Settlement System, Uniastrum Bank card customers are able to withdraw cash at more than 5,660 cash machines at preferential rates.