Citibank Launches Electronic ATM Receipts

New paperless option provides added convenience for customers and helps reduce carbon footprint

New York – As part of Citibank's efforts to simplify the banking experience for customers, the bank announced today a new paperless solution: electronic ATM receipts delivered to a designated personal email account.

This new option, currently available on all Citibank branch ATMs, eliminates the need for paper receipts and provides an easy way to track ATM transactions.

"We constantly listen to our customers and want to provide them with products and services that respond to their evolving needs," said Stephen Troutner, Citi's Head of Branch Network and Banking Products for U.S. Consumer Banking. "Making sure our customers get the most out of their banking experience is important to us, and providing the option to have their ATM receipts emailed allows them to reduce paper clutter, save time and help the environment."

Customers who make deposits and withdrawals through Citibank's branch ATMs will find the new option on the transaction record screen. Customers will be given the following options:

• Receipt emailed to a personal email address
• Receipt printed with a copy of a check(s) if a check deposit was made
• Receipt printed without a copy of the check(s)
• No receipt

The electronic receipt option is an example of how Citi is responding to shifting customer behavior to drive innovations in their digital offerings. Just recently, Citi was recognized for its efforts to be the world's premier digital bank when Citibank Online received the top ranking in Forrester Research's 2012 U.S. Bank Digital Sales Ranking report, an annual ranking of the digital sales offerings of six major U.S. banks.

"We know that each encounter a customer has with Citibank must be first-rate," said Michelle Peluso, Global Consumer Chief Marketing and Internet Officer for Citigroup. "As consumers increasingly gravitate online to manage their accounts, we continue to listen and evolve our digital services. The option to have their ATM transaction records emailed gives our customers an easy way to track their day-to-day finances without having to keep track of individual paper receipts."

Environmental Benefits

Nearly 10 million trees, approximately 250 million gallons of oil, more than 1.2 billion gallons of water and around 1.5 billion gallons of trash are generated and consumed in the production of 640,000 tons of receipt paper used in the United States every year.

 

"Along with the convenience that the electronic receipt provides, we are conscious of those customers who want to cut down on paper use," said Troutner. "Citi is always looking for ways to reduce our carbon footprint and to contribute to our environmental sustainability initiatives. If half of our customers chose to have their ATM statements emailed to them, we estimate a savings of 31,000 pounds of paper a year." 

For more information click on Citi Logo  

 

Citi Unveils Its Sole-Branded Credit Cards in China

Bringing Citi’s world experience and expertise in cards to serve Chinese customers’ spending and lifestyle needs

Shanghai, China – Citibank (China) Co., Ltd. ("Citi China") today unveiled the features of its sole-branded credit card in China. On Aug. 21, Citi announced the issuance of its sole-branded credit card in China, making it the first global bank in China to do so. Stephen Bird, Asia Pacific Chief Executive Officer, Jonathan Larsen, Global Head of Retail Banking and Asia Pacific Head of Consumer Banking, Andrew Au, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Citi China, and Simon Chow, Head of Consumer Bank of Citi China, attended the press conference to introduce the full set of the Citi sole-branded credit cards.

Citi, the largest credit card issuer in the world, expects China to be the world’s largest credit card market by the end of the decade. In Asia, Citi has more than 16 million card accounts in 14 markets; China is the 15th market in the region where the bank now offers credit cards.

The new set of Citi sole-branded credit cards has five cards and includes two categories – Premier Miles and Rewards – that cater to consumers’ different spending needs and spending preferences. The cards offer a wide range of benefits designed to meet the choices of customers.

Premier Miles Card is targeted at the affluent segment of frequent business travelers. Cardholders will have the widest range of redemption choices of more than 50 airlines, access to over 600 airport lounge worldwide six times per year and will also have the flexibility of transferring miles to friends and family. Rewards is targeted to the mass affluent and emerging affluent segment of value seekers who are looking for the best deals and maximizing returns from everyday spending. Customers can choose freely among three lifestyle segments: Fashionista, Homemaker or Yuppie, to enjoy the preferential return on earning three times points all year round from everyday spending. Both Premier Miles and Rewards cards’ miles and points will never expire.

“The launch of our sole-branded cards business in China marks a significant development in our growing presence in China, and we are honored to be the first global bank to issue credit cards in China,” said Stephen Bird. “We were the first global bank to enter the retail banking market in China in 2002, and Citi is deeply committed to China. We are delighted to be once again breaking new ground in what is one of our most important markets globally.”

Andrew Au noted: “Citi is pursuing growth across multiple businesses in China. With the Citi credit card, we are now in a better position to provide our customers in China a full suite of products and services to meet their spending needs and help with their financial planning.”

The Citi credit cards are now available across the 13 cities in which Citi operates. With a Renminbi-denominated and a U.S. dollar-denominated card, the new Citi China UnionPay, Visa and MasterCard credit cards can be used at merchant outlets across China and around the world. In addition, the cardholders can participate in the largest global cards privilege program, Citibank World Privileges, for VIP discounts and benefits.

Jonathan Larsen said: “Citibank is the largest credit card issuer in the world, and we are excited by the opportunities this breakthrough gives us in offering our leading credit card services in China. The launch of our sole-branded cards business comes as we continue to invest in China in support of our growing customer base here.”

Simon Chow noted: “We are confident that the new Citi credit card brings the market-leading offers that cater to the spending and lifestyle needs of our customers, both at home and abroad when they are at work or leisure.”

The new Citi credit cards also provide a number of important safeguards to give customers 24-hour assistance and protection, including purchase protection, roadside assistance, home protection and home assistance, as well as travel accident insurance and travel inconvenience protection.

For more information click on Citi logo   

NBC News, Citi and NewSchools Venture Fund to Launch Second Annual "Citi Innovation Challenge" at "Education Nation"

Young entrepreneurs put their education innovations to the test to win $100,000 prize and assistance making their venture a success

New York – NBC News, Citi and NewSchools Venture Fund announced today that they are launching the second-annual "Citi Innovation Challenge" at NBC News’ “Education Nation” Summit in hopes of helping the country understand the game-changing impact of education innovation in expanding opportunities for students.

The “Citi Innovation Challenge” is a multi-day competition that will take place as part of the 2012 NBC News “Education Nation” Summit at The New York Public Library. The Challenge pits three teams of young innovators from across the U.S. against each other in a series of trials, culminating in a pitch competition at the 2012 Summit. “Education Nation” Summit participants will get to see it all in action as NBC News cameras follow the teams in the days leading up to the final competition. Viewers and the public will be able to follow the teams' progress and participate in one of the challenges by visiting EducationNation.com/Innovation.

“American innovation has always been a key driver of progress, and for 200 years, Citi has strived to enable it,” said Citi Chief Executive Officer Vikram Pandit. “We are proud to once again be partnering with NBC News on the ‘Innovation Challenge’ to help take the next generation of education technology entrepreneurs from ambition to achievement.”

“Thanks to this partnership with NBC News, we get to open a national window on technological innovation in education,” said Ted Mitchell, CEO of NewSchools Venture Fund. “America will get to meet a group of passionate young entrepreneurs, all of them determined to build tools that really help teachers. This is going to be an exciting contest.”

“The ‘Innovation Challenge’ fits perfectly with this year’s focus on solutions, and we’re excited to once again showcase these young entrepreneurs and give them the opportunity to make a real impact on education and the future of our students,” said Vivian Schiller, Senior Vice President of Education and Chief Digital Officer at NBC News.

The first Innovation Challenge in 2011 showcased three teams of young entrepreneurs who developed technological tools to help teachers in the classroom, and the winner – ClassDojo – won a $75,000 prize and was featured on NBC News’ “TODAY.” Since the Innovation Challenge in 2011, Class Dojo has grown rapidly and is now used by students and teachers in more than 30 countries.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural competition, the second “Citi Innovation Challenge” will feature new teams, bigger challenges and a more interactive format that gives the online audience a voice in determining which technology innovation holds the greatest promise for teachers and students
.
This year’s teams are:

• NoRedInk, which helps students improve their grammar/writing skills by creating content from their favorite celebrities, friends and personal interests
• Pathbrite, a tool to help students – and learners of all ages – collect, track and showcase a lifetime of achievement and recommend pathways for continuous success
• ReadImagine, which uses tablet technology and highly engaging content to foster active reading behavior, kindle imagination and improve literacy

The teams will compete to win the $100,000 “Citi Innovation in Education Prize” to help make their innovation a reality, as well as becoming part of the NewSchools Venture Fund portfolio, in order to help grow their business. The judging team includes Craig Barrett, Retired CEO/Chairman of the Board, Intel; Kaya Henderson, Chancellor, Washington DC Public Schools; Walter Isaacson, President & CEO, The Aspen Institute; and Mark Mason, Chief Executive Officer, Citi Holdings.
In addition, the Innovation Challenge Senior Coach will be NewSchools Venture Fund board member Dave Whorton, the founder and managing partner of Tugboat Ventures, and innovators including Christopher Rush, Co-Founder and Chief Program Officer of New Classrooms Innovation Partners, and Crystal Hutter, Chief Operating Officer of Edmodo, who will mentor the Innovation Challenge teams.

To learn more about “Education Nation,” visit EducationNation.com, “Like” us on Facebook: Facebook.com/EducationNation or follow us on Twitter @EducationNation.

For more information click on Citi logo  

Queen and Angry Birds fans assemble: It's competition time!

Rovio says - The start of September saw our Angry Birds take the mantle of being "Freddie For A Day". In short, this meant that our beloved Yellow Bird had the privilege of dressing up as rock legend Freddie Mercury, all in the name of a good cause.

Awesome, right? We have a bunch of cool blue tee shirts to give away, featuring the "Freddie Bird" himself...

We want to hear your favorite Freddie Mercury memories. All you have to do is tweet your thoughts to us with #freddiemercurymemories. You can really tweet anything: A tribute, a memory, a favorite song or performance. As long as it's in the spirit of remembering Freddie, then we're game! For those that don't use Twitter, you can also leave your entry in the blog comments below.

Competition closes on Sunday September 23 at 12PM GMT. Entries will be judged and we'll pick 10 winners.

Want to buy a couple of shirts right now? Then head over to our store - a portion of the proceeds go to charity. 

For more information click on Freddiebird  

to tweet and compete click here

Bad Piggies gameplay ! From the makers of ANGRY BIRD

Till now you 've played with Angry Bird and you have enjoyed a lot, Now you can try a new gameplay "The Bad Piggies" from the makers of Angry Bird, the new game will be launched on September 27 2012.

Bad Piggies will give you a chance to finally see the pig picture and take the role of the infamous green antagonists. The new game will launch on iOS, Android and Mac. Windows Phone, Windows 8 and PC versions will follow shortly.

For more information click on Bad Piggies Logo

 

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Follow the Bad Piggies on Twitter : https://twitter.com/badpiggies