Poland’s first payment cards with Cartoon Network characters

PKO Bank Polski offered prepaid cards for children under 13 as part of its PKO Junior program a few months ago. Since then its youngest clients have been able to manage their savings in a convenient and safe way using cards such as a classic plastic card, a sticker, a pendant or a soft toy. So far, the bank has already sold several thousand of prepaid, contactless cards to parents of children aged below 13.

As of now, apart from a standard white card with colorful digits, PKO Junior plastic cards also feature well-known Cartoon Network characters: Johnny Bravo, Dexter, The Powerpuff Girls and Ben 10. Animated heroes give the cards unique character and appearance. Through positive associations with their favorite programs, children are taught proper financial habits. The cards with Cartoon Network characters are issued by PKO Bank Polski in co-operation with MasterCard.

“Once again we have launched an innovative and unique solution that makes it possible for the financial education being so essential in the current world to be implemented in an attractive and efficient way,” stresses Michał Macierzyński, PKO Junior Project Business Manager at PKO Bank Polski.

Payments by card can be made at POS terminals accepting MasterCard as well as online (for example, at shops such as Google Play or App Store); the cards can also be used for ATM payouts. At the PKO Bank Polski 3,000 ATMs the cards are automatically recognized as cards for children and ATM display screens are adjusted to children’s age both in terms of language and view displayed.

“It is important that, starting at an early age, children could learn how to manage their funds. A prepaid card is an excellent tool for that, particularly when it has such an attractive design corresponding with interests of the youngest. We are happy to be implementing such an innovative and unique project with PKO BP,” says Bartosz Ciołkowski, General Manager Poland at MasterCard Europe.

The cardholder is always an adult. A parent can let their children use the card but they can use it themselves, too. Parent App as part of iPKO online banking enables parents to have a full insight into payments made by their children, control a card balance, decide if funds should be supplemented; they can also manage daily and monthly spending limits.

Apart from cards featuring Cartoon Network characters, the Bank also prepared eight wallpapers for the PKO Junior Internet banking service with images of characters from some of Cartoon Network’s most popular animated shows such as: Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls, Ben 10, Adventure Time!, Cow and Chicken, Courage the Cowardly Dog and The Amazing World of Gumball.

PKO Junior is one of the first e-banking facilities in the world for the youngest ones and at the same time it constitutes a comprehensive financial education program. As part of its product offering, preteens can receive their pocket money into their personal Internet bank accounts, initiate bank transfers, charge up their mobile phones, save or disburse and meet challenges imposed by their parents. The PKO Junior’s product offering also includes prepaid cards which can be used for payments at stores, online or by making cash disbursements at ATMs. In that way, under their parents’ supervision children can learn how to knowingly manage their funds, save and learn in practice how to handle a bank account. For over a year parents have opened over 145 thousands of PKO Junior accounts for their children.

All functionalities embedded in PKO Junior online banking and cards are connected to Parent App in iPKO e-banking service that enables parents to have a full insight into PKO Konto Dziecka [children’s bank account] and the card’s account. For more detailed information about PKO Junior, please visit the Bank’s Website www.pkobp.pl/junior, PKO Bank Polski’s local branches or call an enquiry line at 801 302 302 or 81 535 65 65.

***

PKO Bank Polski is a leader of the Polish banking sector. After three quarters of 2014, PKO Bank Polski Group posted a consolidated net profit of PLN 2 531,5 million. PKO Bank Polski ranked #1 with six stars in the overall classification in the Forbes magazine Best Corporate Bank ranking. The Bank ranked #3 in the Banking Quality 2013 ranking of TNS Polska and Puls Biznesu. The Bank’s Contact Center, for the sixth time in a row, was a winner in a regular survey of banks’ hotlines carried out by ARC Rynek i Opinia. The Bank won for another consecutive year in the ranking of the top 50 banks in Poland published by the financial monthly Bank. PKO Bank Polski won this year’s edition of the ranking in the category of Property Financing Banks and ranked third among Consumer Finance Banks. PKO Bank Polski was awarded for the implementation of the IKO application in the Electronic Banking and E-Finance category of the 12th edition of the Financial Institutions IT Leader 2013  competition of Gazeta Bankowa. PKO Bank Polski was also awarded for its Innovation Centre in the category Back Office Systems. Around a dozen financial institutions, mainly representing the banking and insurance industry, competed for the IT Leader award. The jury of the Competition of the 8th E-Economy Congress awarded PKO Junior in the Project of the Year category. PKO Bank Polski also enjoys the strongest image among Polish banks. According to a prestigious magazine The Banker which values PKO Bank Polski’s brand name at USD 1.25 billion, the Bank remains the most valuable brand in Polish banking sector. According to the ranking of the Most Valuable Polish Brands 2013 by Rzeczpospolita daily, PKO Bank Polski remained the most valuable brand in the financial industry category, valued at PLN 3.7 billion. In 2012, the Jury of the Banking Leaders Competition, organised as a part of the Polish Economic Congress, awarded PKO Bank Polski as the Best Bank and the Most Innovative Bank for the new offer of School Saving Associations. In rankings based on students’ opinions, the Bank was ranked as one of the best employers in Poland. The Bank’s high position is also confirmed by surveys carried out by the international company Universum Global and AIESEC among students of Poland’s best universities. PKO Bank Polski is also a winner of the Golden Banker 2013 award in the Best Mortgage Loan and the Financial Innovation categories for its IKO application.