CIMB and Poptron host #ExtraNotOrdinary Bazaar to empower over 100 micro brands navigate through COVID-19 recovery

The partnership aims to accelerate the growth of around 100 micro brands through Poptron’s newly-launched social e-commerce platform and the CIMB e Credit Card.

Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Bank Berhad (“CIMB” or “the Bank”) and local startup Poptron Malaysia Sdn Bhd (“Poptron”) are hosting the #ExtraNotOrdinary Bazaar from 4 to 10 September 2020 at The Boulevard, Publika Shopping Gallery. The Bazaar marks CIMB’s and Poptron’s partnership, which aims to accelerate the growth of home-grown micro brands through Poptron’s newly-launched social commerce platform. The Bazaar also encourages cashless transactions by providing extra rewards via the newly launched CIMB e Credit Card. The event will feature a range of curated lifestyle brands available on Poptron’s platform and various showcases, paying tribute to the ingenuity of our local talent and unique local products in conjunction with Malaysia Day.

Daniel Cheong, CEO of CIMB Malaysia, CIMB Bank Berhad (second left); Brian Johnson Lowe, Founder and CEO of Poptron (second right); Mohamed Adam Wee Abdullah, Chief Marketing Officer, CIMB Group (first right); and Budiman Tanjung, Regional Head Consumer Products, Wealth & Preferred, CIMB Bank Berhad (first left).

Special appearances at the launch event include Zamaera, KL’s rap sensation, event host Jenn Chia, well-known YouTube personality, as well as other personalities including Sharifah Amani. The Bazaar will also feature interactive artistic acts and games, in addition to cultural performances courtesy of Yayasan Hasanah.

Samir Gupta, CEO, Group Consumer Banking of CIMB Group said, “CIMB’s partnership with Poptron is based on our shared values and desire to accelerate the growth of local micro enterprises. Poptron aims to make ethical and socially conscious micro brands accessible via its social e-commerce platform, which is perfectly aligned with our aim to promote cashless lifestyles.”

“CIMB aims to encourage both our customers and the public to embrace cashless payment methods in their daily spending as the way forward, and they can do so while enjoying greater rewards with the CIMB e Credit Card. We also hope they will consider supporting the micro brands on Poptron as well as our #ExtraNotOrdinary Bazaar, and we look forward to finding even more ways to support local businesses in their recovery during these challenging times,” Samir added.

L-R: Tan Bee Bee, Head of Credit Cards and Personal Financing, CIMB Bank Berhad; Daniel Cheong, CEO of CIMB Malaysia, CIMB Bank Berhad; Brian Johnson Lowe, Founder and CEO of Poptron; Budiman Tanjung, Regional Head Consumer Products, Wealth & Preferred, CIMB Bank Berhad; Ng Kong Boon, Head of VISA Country Manager Malaysia and Mohamed Adam Wee Abdullah, Chief Marketing Officer, CIMB Group.  

“Poptron is about nurturing a community that love and appreciate emerging brands, beautiful products and the wonderful creators behind them. It’s such a heart-warming experience to hear their stories and understand the true passion and pride that goes into what they create.” said Brian Johnson Lowe, Founder and CEO of Poptron.

“As a social e-commerce platform, we want to inspire meaningful lifestyles so that together, we encourage a society that can collectively amplify positive impact. No matter how small the contribution is, all of us are capable of making some difference in our lives and this is important to Poptron and our partner brands” he added.

Brian further shared that the partnership with CIMB Bank is how Poptron is taking a step today towards the vision for a better tomorrow. The desire to onboard brands and partners that share similar values while making them available right at your fingertips is an exciting and unique journey. Poptron recently launched its social commerce platform with a curated list of around 100 local micro and emerging brands spanning over 7 categories. Many of these micro brands were selected as they share ethical, responsible and socially conscious aspirations, with some being social enterprises that give back or provide skills training to underprivileged and marginalised communities. Other examples include brands that offer natural and eco-friendly products, or artisanal goods that showcase the beauty of our Malaysian heritage and local cultures.

The CIMB e Credit Card powered by Visa was specially designed to suit the needs of customers’ digital-first lifestyles in the COVID-19 environment. The credit card provides extra value for online, e-wallet, contactless & auto billing transactions with up to 12 times bonus points for each transaction with no minimum spend without being limited to any e-commerce platform. Customers can even get extravagant rewards via e Credit Card Featured Partners with the likes of Lazada, Shopee & Taobao on CIMB eDay, which falls on 10th of every month. The partnership embodies the #kitajagakita spirit by making the local micro brands featured by Poptron more compelling and accessible with promotions for shoppers for extra value. Poptron and CIMB are offering a discount sitewide at Poptron.co throughout the bazaar period of 4 to 10 September, whereby CIMB e Credit Cardholders will enjoy 15% off plus 12 times Bonus Points instead of the usual 5 times Bonus Points on normal days (non-CIMB e Day) whilst other CIMB debit, credit and prepaid cardholders will enjoy 10% off.

For more details on the #ExtraNotOrdinary Bazaar, check out the event page on Facebook.

For more information about the CIMB e Credit Card, please visit www.cimb.com.my/ecard.

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About CIMB Bank 

CIMB Bank is the consumer banking arm of CIMB Group, offering retail and commercial banking services. CIMB Group is one of ASEAN’s leading universal banking groups and is Malaysia’s second largest financial services provider, by assets. It offers consumer banking, commercial banking, investment banking, Islamic banking and asset management products and services. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Group is present in all 10 ASEAN nations (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos and Philippines). Beyond ASEAN, the Group has market presence in China, Hong Kong, India, Korea, the US and UK. CIMB Group has one of the most extensive retail branch networks in ASEAN with 669 branches as at 30 June 2020. The Group’s investment banking arm is one of the largest Asia Pacific-based investment banks, while it offers comprehensive research coverage around of 950 stocks in the region via its CGSCIMB joint venture. CIMB Group operates its business through three main brand entities, CIMB Bank, CIMB Investment Bank and CIMB Islamic. CIMB Group is also the 92.5% shareholder of Bank CIMB Niaga in Indonesia, and 94.8% shareholder of CIMB Thai in Thailand. CIMB Group is listed on Bursa Malaysia via CIMB Group Holdings Berhad. It had a market capitalisation of approximately RM35.1 billion as at 30 June 2020. The Group has around 35,000 employees located in 15 countries. 

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About Poptron 

Poptron Malaysia Sdn Bhd [“Poptron”] was established in 2019 with a mission of fostering a community that loves and appreciates emerging brands, beautiful products, and the wonderful creators behind them. By connecting lifestyle microbrands and content to a like-minded global audience, Poptron empowers passionate brands to make a difference everyday with their amazing products. Poptron is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For more information, visit www.poptron.com

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