Current Context: On 7 September 2026, Bandhan Bank entered the credit-card business by launching four cards in partnership with Mastercard. The portfolio consists of Sparks, Ignite, Flare and Lumina, designed for customers ranging from first-time cardholders to premium users.
- The cards provide reward benefits on eligible retail purchases.
- The launch expands Bandhan Bank’s retail-banking services beyond its traditional deposit and lending products while using Mastercard’s global payment network and security infrastructure.
- Selected variants offer domestic and international airport-lounge access.
- Premium benefits include dining, travel and golf privileges.
- Customers can use the cards for contactless payments through Mastercard-enabled terminals.
- The portfolio allows Bandhan Bank to serve different customer segments through separate benefit levels.
- Bandhan Bank is a private-sector bank headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal.
- It commenced banking operations on 23 August 2015.
- Bandhan was the first Indian microfinance institution to become a universal bank.
- Partha Pratim Sengupta is the Managing Director and CEO of Bandhan Bank.
Question:
Q1. Bandhan Bank launched its first four-tier credit-card portfolio in partnership with which payment company?a) Visa
b) RuPay
c) Mastercard
d) American Express
Answer: c) Bandhan Bank partnered with Mastercard to launch four credit-card variants named Sparks, Ignite, Flare and Lumina.
