Three customers win big in Belize Bank raffle

Over the last month, the Belize Bank has been in the news for its involvement in the investigation into the Venezuelan, and more recently, Taiwanese millions. But tonight the financial institution is making headlines because it’s giving away money. In the third raffle since it introduced its Visa Debit Card this morning three lucky customers received a combined seven thousand dollars.

As the grand prize winner, Seifullah Muhammed took home five thousand dollars while Godfrey Arzu and Armando Cocom won consolation prizes of a thousand dollars each.
According to Belize Bank’s Vice President of Electronic Banking Jose Cardona, the new payment method offers benefits for clients and the bank.

Jose Cardona, Vice Pres., Electronic Banking, Bze Bank
“It’s a promotion to encourage our Visa Debit card holders to use their cards, and to use their cards as a payment method meaning not to withdraw money at the A.T.M. but to go to the merchants and to use the cards there. It’s a more convenient method of payment, safer, you don’t have to carry cash in your pocket and the card is free, so there’s no reason why you shouldn’t end up using the more convenient method of payment. You don’t have to be writing out cheques. Why carry cheques or cash, just carry your card. That’s what we’ve been telling our clients to do.”

“For the bank and for the banking industry on a whole it increases the efficiency of the payment systems in Belize. Merchants get paid faster, you don’t have the issues of cheques that perhaps don’t have any funds and are then returned, so when merchants are paid with a card that merchant knows that that money is available.”

To qualify for a debit card, customers need to have a savings account with Belize Bank. Another raffle is planned for later this year.