KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA. A routine task of sending money home to his loved ones in the Philippines saw Mr. Julio F Fonte Jr. walking away richer by Php700,710 (RM50,000 converted using RM1 : Php14.0142), when he received the Grand Prize in the Maybank "Mega Remittance Promotion" campaign .

Mr. Julio F Fonte Jr, Mechanical Engineer from Manila, Philippines said "I'm ecstatic and still in a state of shock. I never expected to win such an amount," he said.

"Personally, I find that Maybank Money Express very convenient and an affordable way to send money home. I usually use the remittance service about twice monthly and my family members back home say it is very easy for them to collect the money as there is a Maybank branch nearby."

The four phase campaign was launched in conjunction with the Maybank Money Express (MME) service which started on 1 September 2011. It will run until 30 June 2012. Customers who remit Php7,000 (RM500) and above stand a chance to win Php700,000 (RM50,000) for each phase of the contest throughout the campaign period.

Other consolation winners include Miss Dwikrisnawati from Indonesia and Mr. Gulzar Ahmad from Pakistan who won Php14,014 (RM1,000) each.

Mr. B. Ravintharan, Head of Cards, Wealth & Payments, Maybank said "Maybank is already a market leader in the remittance business and we have recorded a significant growth since we launched MME service in 16 September 2010 with Cambodians being the largest users of this service,"

"Maybank is one of the leading remittance players in the industry and we are targeting a double digit growth for financial year 2012. We are always looking for new and exciting ways to make the remittance service a more rewarding experience for our customers, hence this contest echoes our commitment," he added.

Mr. B. Ravitharan also said that remittance has grown into a significant business and customers were drawn by competitive pricing and convenience.

MME is available at all Maybank branches in Malaysia, as well as at strategic Maybank overseas offices and appointed MME agents. There are about 3,390 collection touch points which include Bank Internasional Indonesia (BII), Bank Muamalat Indonesia, Bank Rakyat Indonesia Syariah, Maybank Cambodia, Maybank Philippines Inc. (MPI), Maybank Singapore, Maybank Brunei, Maybank Vietnam, DongA Money Transfer (DAMTC), Sacombank-SBR, Agribank, Vietinbank in Vietnam, Muslim Commercial Bank (MCB) and Tameer Microfinance Bank in Pakistan, Axis Bank in India and Nepal Investment Bank Limited.