CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank (CIBC/FCIB) is in growth mode and has set its target on the booming travel and tourism market in the Caribbean for new business as it places emphasis on card services and digital innovation.

In line with the emphasis on card services, the regional bank announced a strategic partnership with Mastercard and JetBlue for the launch of two new credit cards that award points for free travel to cardholders in Jamaica, The Bahamas, Barbados, Cayman Islands and Trinidad and Tobago.

In revealing the co-branded credit cards, JetBlue and JetBlue Select credit cards, on Monday, December 4, CIBC/FCIB Jamaica Managing Director Nigel Holness declared that card services are now “an integral element of our growth strategy”.

“Like the airline industry, which has been in a rebuilding and innovation mode since the restrictions of the pandemic have been dropped, we too have been looking for the best products and services that will service our clients in a world that has been forever altered by the pandemic,” he told the audience who gathered to witness the unveiling of the two new credit cards at the AC Hotel by Marriott on the outskirts of New Kingston.

“We have taken a long hard look at our business and have been making some changes that will strengthen us for future growth,” Holness added, emphasising that “Jamaica will a large role in our expansion plans as we continue to ramp up our business here, which we have already started”.

According to the head of CIBC/FCIB Jamaica, the bank is being repositioned to offer “the best omni-banking channel service in the Caribbean region”.

He said CIBC/FCIB has experienced the strongest growth in digital banking services post-pandemic, which is driving the innovation of its digital banking platform,

“So, we introduced some of the best digital banking services this region has ever seen, and they have been so well received by our clients. We have not stopped there and have been constantly striving to introduce the brightest and best for our ever-more discerning clients,” Holness shared.

One of those innovative digital services to which he referred is CIBC/FCIB’s online loan store, where clients can apply and get approval for loans within five minutes.

“To date, we have achieved record sales and best-in-class client experience,” Holness boasted.

According to Jennifer Fuller, CIBC/FCIB Jamaica’s director of enterprise payments, cards and merchant services, the bank is recognised as a market leader in the digital space, leading with innovative technology. One such digital innovation is CIBC/FCIB’s digital instant use credit card, which can be access through its online loan store.

“We are effectively reinventing our online card services to offer more dynamic, easy and instant capabilities and management solutions,” Fuller said, pointing out that the new JetBlue Card and JetBlue Select Mastercard credit cards will be first introduced as digital cards, with the physical versions to come later in 2024.

“Whether a digital card or vignette, these latest additions to CIBC FirstCariibean’s suite of credit cards will collectively expand our cards portfolio and with the current favourable market conditions, the appealing value propositions and a strong partnership, the JetBlue cards by CIBC FirstCaribbean are well positioned for success in the markets we operate,” she said.

“We are building a bigger and better digitally enabled bank with innovative technologies, providing newer products and faster services to meet your unique and changing needs,” Holness added.