KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian Football League (MFL) has announced a strategic partnership with cryptocurrency company Luno worth RM1 million ahead of the 2022 season.
As MFL’s official crypto investment partner, Luno will also co-sponsor the prestigious Malaysia Cup as well as the Malaysian Super League.
Malaysian Football League chief executive officer Stuart Ramalingam says the collaboration will bring about an exciting new image for the league.
“Today marks a historic day for Malaysian football as we welcome new-age partners that will give the (Malaysian Football) league a new image and a better reach for commercial brands,” Stuart said during the partnership ceremony held at Common Ground, 1Powerhouse here today.
“As the world opens its doors to the acceptance of cryptocurrency, this collaboration opens up a whole new horizon for the MFL family with such an extraordinary partnership,” he said.
Stuart also says MFL is rethinking its corporate narrative in an effort to better engage the Malaysian football community.
“Clubs, fans, media, MFL and Football Association of Malaysia can all do better to ensure that the space of local football is supported by local fans.
“With a brand like Luno as a partner, we can reach out to Klang Valley urbanites with an interest in crypto space and the digital economy.
“They may not know Malaysian football but that may change through the awareness campaigns we will develop together,” Stuart added.
On MFL’s upcoming plans, Stuart says the league is working on mobile applications and games, which are currently still in development, and the possibility of launching a fantasy football league.
Also present at the ceremony was Luno Malaysia country manager Aaron Tang, who says the company’s maiden partnership with local sports will open doors for both parties, apart from creating an opportunity for many Malaysian football fans to explore and invest in cryptocurrency.
“This makes us the first digital asset exchange to support the country’s biggest and most prestigious football competition with a fanbase of over 13 million,” Aaron exclaimed.
“The partnership offers us a great opportunity to engage with new audiences and raise our brand profile among everyday Malaysians, who might be wanting to explore the world of cryptocurrency.
“Our mission is to put the power of crypto in everyone’s hands in an accessible, convenient and safe way and this partnership is a step towards achieving this in Malaysia,” he said.
Aaron also added that the future value of the sponsorship package will be based on how much progress is made this year.
“We, of course, have potential options to consider for 2023 and beyond, and we will evaluate it accordingly as the year progresses,” he added.
He also spoke about the efforts taken to ensure that cryptocurrency will be well perceived by Malaysian football’s majority fanbase of B40 and M40 households.
“We’ve always focused on our education campaigns and not merely requesting people to blindly get into something that they may not be fully aware of.
“Our financial regulators, which are the Securities Commission of Malaysia, have given us a mandate to focus more on education and awareness,” Aaron added.
Launched in 2013, Luno is headquartered in London with over nine million customers across 40 countries.
Luno is also Malaysia’s first regulated digital assets exchange under the Securities Commission. – The Vibes, February 16, 2022
