TORONTO, ON - December 07, 2016 /CNW/ - In a landmark agreement, FC Barcelona and its Foundation announced today an official partnership with Scotiabank designating the international bank as the Official Banking Partner of FC Barcelona in Latin America and the Caribbean.

This multi-year agreement will enable the Bank to sponsor a number of programs focused on young people. The winners of the Campeonato Scotiabank Fútbol Club from several countries and other local selected teams will be able to attend training events in Barcelona. Scotiabank will also organize a four-day FutbolNet Festival in six Latin American or Caribbean countries where the Bank operates. A thousand young players will participate in each of the six FutbolNet Festivals to train and learn important sport and life-lasting skills. This partnership will allow Scotiabank to offer tickets and football experiences to customers.

"Very few sports teams can rouse the passion of its fans around the world like football powerhouse FC Barcelona and we are thrilled to become the Official Banking Partner of one of the greatest sports teams in the world," said Ignacio "Nacho" Deschamps, Group Head, International Banking and Digital Transformation, Scotiabank. "This partnership is about football and the passion we share for the game with our customers and employees."

"FC Barcelona and Scotiabank share the same values when it comes to sport and the commitment to having a lasting impact on youth who participate in the game," said John Doig, Scotiabank's Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. "Our association with FC Barcelona will provide youth greater access to football and help them realize their infinite potential."

"FC Barcelona wants to continue to grow and the partnership with Scotiabank will allow us to do so", said Manel Arroyo, Vice President, Marketing and Communications, FC Barcelona. "This is the first partnership signed by our New York office since it opened in September and I am sure there will be more, which will allow us to remain the Club with the most followers in the world."

"We are proud of the trust Scotiabank is putting in the FC Barcelona Foundation and our FutbolNet program", said Jordi Cardoner, First Vice President and responsible for Social Impact at FC Barcelona. "Scotiabank's support will allow us to expand our reach in Latin America and help us build a fair and accessible society in which children and youth can develop their fullest potential."

The Fundacio FC Barcelona FutbolNet Program is a wonderful educational program for children where football is used as a tool to teach important values. During two consecutive weekends, participants train and learn important sport and life-lasting skills.

This is the 2^nd partnership announced by Scotiabank in support of football since CONCACAF designated the Bank as the Official Bank of the Confederation in December 2014. The multi-year agreement made Scotiabank the first official partner of CONCACAF and covers multiple tournaments through 2018 including the Scotiabank Champions League, the Gold Cup and multiple youth tournaments such as the 2016 Olympic Qualifying events, and men's and women's tournaments at the under-20 and under-17 levels.

Click here to see the video from Mexico (in Spanish): https://youtu.be/AOLdFRrm-gc

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Scotiabank is Canada's international bank and a leading financial services provider in North America, Latin America, the Caribbean and Central America, and Asia-Pacific. We are dedicated to helping our 23 million customers become better off through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets. With a team of more than 88,000 employees and assets of $896 billion (as at October 31, 2016), Scotiabank trades on the Toronto (TSX: BNS) and New York Exchanges (NYSE: BNS). Scotiabank distributes the Bank's media releases using CNW. For more information, please visit www.scotiabank.com and follow us on Twitter @ScotiabankViews.

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