This is another agreement between financial services firms and sports clubs.

Netherlands-based banking group ABN AMRO has partnered with Dutch football club Ajax to become the club's official eSports partner. This is another agreement between financial services firms and sports clubs.

The bank plans to focus on talent development and increasing the potential within the rapidly growing world of virtual football, ABN AMRO said in a statement.

”To us, eSports is a new world – one in which we see opportunities for reaching a new target group,” said Ernst Boekhorst, brand, sponsoring & foundation manager at ABN AMRO. "Our sponsorship activities always focus on talent. We want to help people reach their full potential, maximise their talents and realise their ambitions."

ABN AMRO and Ajax presented details of their new Ajax eSports talent programme at the opening of the FIFA 18 Xperience on 21 September.  

It is becoming a common theme for financial services firms, including wealth managers, to partner with sports clubs around the world. Recently, this publication reported on West Ham United's agreement with Hantec Markets, which became the club's official forex affiliate. However, this partnership is a new concept, where financial institutions look to take advantage of the capital which can be made from eSports. Sports clubs around the world are starting to have their own eSports teams, and the industry is growing, with it being regularly shown live on television.

Sports sponsorship has been a familiar feature for wealth management in recent years, such as with the global deal by UBS and Formula 1, or Julius Baer's backing of the Formula E all-electric race-car series, for example. BNP Paribas, the French bank, is a high-profile sponsor of the global tennis circuit. Investec, the South Africa-headquartered bank, has sponsored rugby and cricket events.