By Suleman Chitera

First Capital Bank (FCB) has partnered with Hashtag Fitness to promote and develop padel sport in Malawi through the launch of the FCB Padel Cup, a week-long tournament that will bring together players from across selected African countries.

As part of the partnership, FCB has invested K40 million towards the staging of the inaugural tournament, which will be held at Hashtag Fitness in Blantyre from June to 6 to 13, 2026.FCB launches K50 million  ‘Chinthuchi Tatenga’ Promo 

The FCB Padel Cup will serve as a regional competition involving countries where the bank operates in, namely Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana, and top-performing players from each country will compete for a place in the grand finale scheduled to take place in Botswana.

Speaking during the launch ceremony on Monday, FCB Head of Marketing and Communications Twikale Chirwa said the partnership was established in response to growing interest in padel among the bank’s customers, particularly within the corporate sector.Timverane Club shines in FCB Kupha Makwacha promo

“As First Capital Bank, we are always looking for opportunities to offer our customers what they are looking for and we have noticed that our corporate customers are very interested in this sport called Padel. It is also a platform for us as a bank to interact with our corporate customers,” said Chirwa.

He said the initiative marks not only the launch of a new sporting partnership, but also the introduction of Padel to a wider audience in the country.

Chirwa further said the tournament is expected to create opportunities for customers and players to interact across FCB’s regional markets while contributing to the growth of one of the world’s fastest-growing sport.FCB invests K183 million in BSC golf-course infrastructure

Hashtag Fitness Chief Operations Officer, Jean Claude de Silva welcomed the collaboration, describing it as a major boost for the development of Padel in Malawi.

“We wanted to partner with a company that is as forward-thinking and innovative as Hashtag Fitness is. First Capital Bank has proven to us that they are the one,” said de Silva.

He said the partnership will help position Malawi within the international Padel community while opening doors for future initiatives such as coaching clinics, player development programmes and regional tournaments.FCB Nyasa Big Bullets Open to Lloyd Aaron’s Foreign Move

The winners of the competition will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Botswana and a $1,000 prize in the form of Padel equipment or court time to support their continued participation in the sport.

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