Access Bank Plc has splashed over N50 million to about 1,044 customers in its DiamondXtravaganza Season 11 reward promo aimed at enhancing savings culture.
Mr Robert Giles, the bank’s Head, Retail Products, said at the reward ceremony on Wednesday in Lagos that the initiative was introduced in 2008 to boost savings culture and financial inclusion.
Giles said that the Diamondxtra initiative which had been running for 11 years had constantly grown with the number of prizes given out every year.
He stated that over N50 million was given out in form of cash to winners across the country.
Giles said that the bank had given out five billion naira to lucky customers since the inception of DiamondXtra initiative.
“As at the end of last year, we have given out N5 billion in prizes since inception.
“We had over 20,000 beneficiaries and as at last year, we had over 4,000 beneficiaries in which we gave out over N50 million today,” he stated.
Giles described DiamondXtra, as a unique product introduced into the market by the bank based on feedback from customers.
He explained that salary for life, rent for a year and educational support were all introduced based on customers experiences and feedback.
Giles noted that the initiative had helped in growing the bank’s deposit base and as well helped in transforming the lives of Nigerians by giving them the chance to win.
“Now we are seeing that customers are able to use that fund to start new businesses and this is impacting on their lives.
“This product has been a successful product since the launch and we have significantly more than one million customers who save with DiamondXtra and you do not have to have a large amount to save.
“For every N5,000 you save, you get one entry into the prize draw and that entry could win you any category of our prizes,” he stated.
“The special thing about season 11 is the difference we are making for people by giving rent allowance for a year and we had winners today who won in that category as well as education grant for five years, that is something that is really impressive in this season,” Giles said.
Giles who appreciated the bank’s customers for their support over the years said that DiamondXtra Season 12 would kick off in February with a lot of goodies.
Also speaking, Adaeze Umeh, the bank’s Group Head, Consumer Banking, stated that it would add more exciting features in Season 12 as well as more winners.
“Season 12 is going to be much bigger because we have gotten feedback and insights from our customers.
“This initiative has been there for 11 years and so we have a lot of strong followership and each season we try to build in what our customers love and will want in a new season as it is a product aimed at transforming lives.
So, we encourage Nigerians to keep fate in us even as we get to launch the new season next month”, Umeh said.
Ms Vivian Onyebukwa, a journalist, who won N500,000 commended the bank for the inititiative aimed at changing lives and enhancing saving culture.
Onyebukwa said she had been a customer of Access Bank for years and never expected to emerge a winner.
“I feel so happy and so excited. I never believe I would become a winner in the first place. All I had to do was to top my DiamondXtra Savings account which I started with N5000 before I constantly topped it with bigger amounts which as a result made me N500,000 richer today.
“I want to say a very big thank you to Access Bank, I will also encourage other Nigerians especially my colleagues to partake in this initiative because this bank ends up making their customers happy”, she said.
