The Kolkata-headquartered bank, Bandhan Bank, has announced the former Indian cricket team captain, Sourav Ganguly, as its new brand ambassador.
Bandhan Bank is an Indian commercial bank that focuses on underbanked and underpenetrated markets. Bandhan Bank is India’s first example of a micro-finance organisation converting into a universal bank. The commercial bank provides a wide range of asset and liability services and products for both micro and general banking.
In this deal, Ganguly will assist in amplifying the bank’s marketing messages and endorsing the bank’s products and services.
“The two brands share common values. Ganguly led the transformation of the Indian cricket team in the early 2000s, just like Bandhan led the transformation of not-so-privileged households in rural and semi-urban India. Both are iconic brands that have origins in Eastern India. Yet, over the years, they have established themselves well in much larger geographies and are no more regional icons. While Ganguly is a global icon, thanks to his cricketing achievements, first as a player, then as a captain, and now as an administrator, Bandhan Bank is a pan India bank that provides banking services to all, big or small, through its 5,644 banking outlets spread across 34 of the 36 states and union territories in the country,” the company said.
Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, MD and CEO, Bandhan Bank, said, “Sourav has been one of the most successful captains of the Indian cricket team due to his foresight, dedication and commitment to the game. There is a lot of congruence in the values that Sourav and Bandhan Bank embody. He is also a global icon and commands respect from all quarters. We are confident that this partnership will help us garner more attention, leading to greater awareness of the brand, and thus propelling us further in our growth story.
“This association is another step towards connecting strongly with consumers across the spectrum and reinforcing our ongoing mission of inclusive banking.”
Speaking about the association, Sourav Ganguly, said, “I have seen the rise of the brand Bandhan from close quarters, and I am proud of the progress it has made in such a short time span. What I admire most about the bank is that it is a purpose-led brand and is committed to creating sustainable impact at the ground level. This resonates well with me as sustainable impact is what I have myself always aimed at, first as a captain and now as an administrator. I am privileged to have the responsibility to get Bandhan Bank more recognition across the nation.”
Meanwhile, Ganguly’s tenure as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is scheduled to conclude on October 18.
The former Indian captain took over as the BCCI president in October 2019. After the Supreme Court of India eliminated the cooling-off period stipulation, the longtime administrator was still expected to stay as president. However, his stint will conclude next week.