Citigroup Appointed European Commercial Card Provider to BASF
Frankfurt and London, August 6, 2004 – Citigroup Global Transaction Services, a unit of Citigroup (NYSE: C) and a leader in transaction processing, announced today that it had been appointed by BASF to provide their employees with Visa-branded travel & entertainment corporate expense cards across Europe.
“We are pleased to provide BASF with a commercial card solution that will help them run their business more efficiently. This appointment deepens a long-standing relationship between BASF and Citigroup,” said Francesco Vanni d’Archirafi, head of Citigroup’s Global Transaction Services business in Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Over 5,200 cards have been issued to BASF employees already in Germany with plans to expand the programme across Europe. Citibank’s proprietary issuing platform was an important criteria in BASF’s selection process.
BASF will utilize the Citibank® Custom Reporting System, a proprietary Web-based electronic query tool to analyze their T&E spending patterns, and the Citibank® Global Data Repository to access enhanced data gathered from hotels, car rental agencies and airlines. The information gleaned from the Repository and the business intelligence tool, will allow BASF to better negotiate with vendors, enforce compliance with corporate T&E policies and make more informed, efficient business decisions. BASF will also gain transaction processing efficiencies, as all commercial card data will be consolidated from one provider.
Travel and entertainment (T&E) expenses represent the second largest controllable expense for a company, after salaries, often up to 10 percent of all expenses and a half percent of total sales. In Europe, travel and entertainment expenses is a € 40 billion market and € 250 billion market globally.
Citigroup offers commercial card programmes in over 30 countries used by over one million corporate and government cardholders. Corporate and government clients manage their programmes via a robust set of management and reporting tools globally which include standard and dynamic reports, online analytical processing of the Citibank® Global Data Repository, online statements and invoices and file delivery. These industry leading analytical tools are available in each country to insure that Citibank Commercial Cards multinational clients have a globally consistent product set, regardless of the country or region where they are located.
About BASF
BASF is the world’s leading chemical company. Our goal is to
grow profitably and further increase the value of our company. We
help our customers to be more successful through intelligent system
solutions and high-quality products. BASF’s portfolio ranges
from chemicals, plastics, performance products, agricultural products
and fine chemicals to crude oil and natural gas. Through new technologies
we can tap into additional market opportunities. We conduct our business
in accordance with the principles of sustainable development. In 2003,
BASF had sales of more than €33 billion (circa $42 billion) and
over 87,000 employees worldwide. BASF shares are traded on the stock
exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA), New York (BF), Paris (BA)
and Zurich (AN). Further information on BASF is available on the Internet
at www.basf.com.
About Citigroup
Citigroup (NYSE: C), the preeminent global financial services company
has some 200 million customer accounts and does business in more than
100 countries, providing consumers, corporations, governments and
institutions with a broad range of financial products and services,
including consumer banking and credit, corporate and investment banking,
insurance, securities brokerage, and asset management. Major brand
names under Citigroup's trademark red umbrella include Citibank, CitiFinancial,
Primerica, Smith Barney, Banamex, and Travelers Life and Annuity.
Additional information may be found at: www.citigroup.com.
About Citigroup Global Transaction Services
Citigroup Global Transaction Services is a leading provider of integrated
cash management, trade finance, securities and fund services and
commercial card solutions to corporations, financial institutions
and governments around the world. The Citibank® Commercial Cards
products – Citibank® Corporate Card, Purchasing Card,
One Card and Electronic Account – deliver the industry’s
most advanced and innovative Web-based purchasing, payment, expense
management and data integration solutions for business-to-business
transactions. Citigroup is the largest bankcard issuer in the United
States. For more information on Citibank Commercial Cards, please
visit www.citimanager.com.
