KUWAIT: National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) has been awarded by Visa for being "the first bank to launch "Verified by Visa" for Debit Cards in Kuwait". The award recognizes NBK for its commitment to delivering superior value to its customers by providing a secure banking environment.

Salah Al-Fulaij, NBK-Kuwait Chief Executive Officer and Mohammed Al Othman, NBK Deputy General Manager, Consumer banking Group received the award from Ihab Ayoub, Visa General Manager, Middle East and North Africa, at NBK's Head Office, in the presence of executives from NBK and Visa.

Commenting on the occasion, Al-Fulaij said "this distinction underpins the excellence of NBK's services and its pioneering position in delivering innovative products through a secured banking environment."

"NBK is committed to providing its customers with the best banking products and services by building on the long-time relationships with world leading partners such as Visa," added Al-Fulaij. "With the growing number of online payments globally, we want to make sure that our customers' internet purchases are as secure as possible. NBK customers can now enjoy both comfort and protection when using their cards while shopping on international websites."

In his turn, Ayoub said: "We are pleased to confer the National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) with this award for being the first bank to launch "Verified by Visa" for Debit Cards in Kuwait. As the global leader in electronic payments, Visa's cards are designed to appeal to different market segments and we are delighted that NBK's suite of Visa products provides cardholders with the highest level of protection against unauthorized usage when shopping online."

NBK Secure Shopping is a free, quick and secure payment process that works simply by using a passcode. The NBK Secure service adds an additional level of authentication by confirming customer identity with a dedicated passcode that makes internet shopping safer.

NBK customers can register for this service through NBK.com or during shopping prior to using their Debit Cards, Credit Cards and Prepaid Cards at participating merchants. The passcode that customers create works as their unique online identifier, to protect them from unauthorized usage when making online transactions. NBK customers can visit their closest branch in Kuwait to update their information and benefit from this service when using their debit cards.