.banamex

Citigroup Inc. (ʺApplicantʺ) is a global banking corporation that connects millions of people in and between 1,000 cities and 160 countries. Applicant's services include consumer, institutional, and investment banking, including debt and equity markets, private equity, hedge funds, equity and fixed income investments; residential real estate services; transaction services, including cash management, trade services, clearing services and agency and trust services; consumer, residential, retail, commercial, automobile, student, and international consumer lending services; credit card services; insurance services; and other special asset services.

Applicant will operate the proposed gTLD ("the TLD") on behalf of and for the benefit of Grupo Financiero Banamex S.A. de C.V. ("Banamex"), one of Applicant's wholly-owned subsidiaries headquartered in Mexico City, Mexico. Banamex is a major citizen in the Mexican financial services industry, and provides services in numerous locations throughout Mexico and in California. As shown by the attached Consent Letter, Applicant has the right to use Banamex's trademarks and intellectual property for this purpose.

The purpose and mission of the TLD, if ever used with the public, will be to serve individuals, communities, institutions, and governments in meeting financial challenges and seizing the greatest financial opportunities. Accordingly, Applicant intends the TLD to eventually enhance Banamex's clients' and customers' online lives through innovation that harnesses the breadth and depth of Banamex's information, connections to its parent's global network, world class products and services, and talented leadership with the best training.

Indeed, banks and financial institutions are an integral part of every economy and society, and between every economy and society. A bank or financial institution's role is not limited to furthering individuals' or institutions' financial well-being; banks and financial institutions have a deeper value and mission. Human rights and democracy can only thrive and reach their full potential when there is economic inclusion and access for all, which requires access to basic financial information, products and services. To that end, Banamex has launched a host of social responsibility initiatives ranging from the Banamex Financial Education Program that promotes financial literacy for low-income Mexican citizens to the Banamex Award for Microenterprise that promotes the use of microfinance as a development tool to reduce poverty.

Because banking and financial websites have been the targets of fraudulent online activity, the further purpose of the TLD, if ever used with the public, is to further assist Banamex in accomplishing its mission of providing secure online banking and financial services, economic inclusion, and financial access through providing a technologically secure and advanced environment in which to learn about and access the products and services Banamex provides. Indeed, Applicant already has an awarded-winning online track record, having over the past ten (10) years won thirty-nine (39) industry awards, including seven Forbes "Best of the Web" accolades, and twelve (12) industry firsts including in such areas as instant account opening, instant loan decisioning, e-sign, e-statements, alerts, online account management in Spanish, and downloadable mobile-banking application from such organizations as Forrester, Keynote, Watchfire, Corporate Insight, and Online Banking Report ("OBR"). OBR called Applicant the "[s]afest place to bank online," while Forbes noted that Applicant was "[t]he standard bearer of online banking" and "[t]he most intelligent online banking service around." Similarly, Banamex already has an awarded-winning online track record in providing cutting-edge banking services. In 2009, Global Finance recognized Banamex's website as the best corporate website. Also in 2009, Banamex created Banamex Launch Mobile, the first financial portal for Mexico, to increase the accessibility Banamex's online products and services.

In keeping with its mission to offer financial services in a safe, responsible manner, upon delegation of the TLD, Applicant, in conjunction with Banamex, will initially conduct consumer marketing and technical research and monitoring of market trends and consumer behaviors to determine the most effective and safest way for Applicant to market and provide Banamex's banking and financial services to its consumers through the TLD. During this initial research period, neither Applicant nor Banamex will use the TLD to provide any information or services to the public, but reserves the right to use the TLD for internal purposes, including consumer and security-based testing of the TLD for display to the public. After the research is completed, Applicant reserves the right to continue limiting TLD use to internal purposes, or if consumer behavior and expectations change, to display websites within the TLD to the public accordingly.
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