Luxury credit card defies credit crunch
A credit card inlaid with a 0.02 carat diamond and laced with gold has been unveiled by a Kazakh bank.Labelled the Diamond, it will cost £620 annually and has a personal "manager", available 24 hours a day.The card, which will feature a picture of a winged horse for men and a peacock for women, will be launched by Kazkommertzbank and MasterCard later this month, the Financial Times reports.Head of international payment systems at Kazkommertzbank, Alla Voyakina, told the newspaper that the card was not intended for credit crunch-hit consumers."The crisis is also affecting us but we are talking about rich people, they can afford to have such cards," she said."It's a question of prestige to have such cards in your wallet."Kazakhstan has become wealthy since leaving the Soviet Union, as it has a large supply of mineral resources and oil.A super-rich class has been created as a result.
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