ITHMAAR Bank, a Bahrain-based Islamic retail bank, announced Saturday the launch of a prestigious new Shariah-compliant contactless credit card with Mastercard, a leading technology company in the global payments industry. The pioneering new Ithmaar Bank World credit card, the country’s first contactless offering, is a result of the Bank’s continuous commitment to listening to, and delivering on, customer expectations. “Ithmaar Bank is determined to become the region’s premier Islamic retail bank,” said Ithmaar Bank Chief Executive Officer Ahmed Abdul Rahim. “To do so, we continue to invest heavily in developing our products and services while also working to be closer to our customers,” he said. “We are pleased to have worked with our partners at Mastercard to introduce Bahrain’s first contactless World credit card, and we are delighted to now make it available to our customers,” said Abdul Rahim. “I am confident that the new card will go a long way towards making payments faster, easier and more convenient for our customers,” he said. “The Ithmaar Bank World credit card allows customers to make quick, secure payments with just a tap of the card. The contactless feature currently works at regional and international points of sale, and will also be available in Bahrain shortly,” said Abdul Rahim. “The Ithmaar Bank World credit card also offers customers enhanced privileges, including for example, unlimited access to over 900 airport lounges in more than 450 cities across more than 135 countries worldwide – catering to the specific needs of the affluent traveller segment.” “We are pleased to collaborate with Ithmaar Bank to launch Bahrain’s first contactless World Mastercard credit card. The card reflects our commitment to creating tailored payment solutions that address the evolving needs of our cardholders in the market,” said Pankaj Kathuria, Area Business Head, Northern Gulf, Mastercard. “At Mastercard, we have always been at the forefront of introducing bespoke products that provide frequent and discerning travellers convenient payment methods to make their journeys even more comfortable, and our World portfolio complements their life