o-branded credit cards are aplenty. Here�s a quick list. Citibank has Indian Oil, MTV, Jet Airways and The Times of India; Amex has Indian Airlines; ICICI Bank has tie-ups with Big Bazaar, HPCL and Amway. And mind you, this is by no means a complete account. So, while there�s nothing new about the launch of a co-branded card in India, the latest association involves the previously unexplored consumer durables industry.

LG has recently tied up with SBI Cards (a joint venture of State Bank of India and GE) to come up with the first co-branded credit card for consumer durables. There is a simple reason. Both LG and SBI have massive reach and this coming together gives them an even larger national distribution network. Says Roopam Astana, chief executive officer, SBI Cards: "Developing new partnerships is a key part of our strategy. LG, being a leader in its market, was a natural choice to be our partner."... more