ICM.com has expanded its sports sponsorship portfolio with its latest strategic partnership with the France SailGP Team, Finance Magnates learned exclusively. The deal came into effect this month as the broker became an official partner of the France SailGP Team and its French pilot Quentin Delapierr for three years.

ICM.com Becomes France SailGP Team Sponsor

The deal's timing is also carefully chosen as it was sealed days before the first-ever Singapore Sail Grand Prix which is scheduled to take place on January 14 and 15. Under the signed agreement, the broker's branding will appear on the French team's F50 boat, team base, and clothing.

"We are excited to start the new year 2023 with our partnership with the world of sailing with SailGP," said the Founder and CEO of ICM.com, Shoaib Abedi. "We are particularly thrilled to be supporting team France, one of the strongest teams on record, as we are happy to see ICM.com amongst top names in the world."

ICM.com Enhances Its Sports Deal Portfolio

Sports sponsorship is one of the most desired marketing channels for financial services companies to strengthen their brands. ICM.com, which operates with multiple licenses, has several active sports deals. The broker is sponsoring the English football club Newcastle United, the Scuderia AlphaTauri F1 team in motor racing, and London's Chestertons Polo in the Park.

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Unlike football, which is the first sports sponsorship preference for brokers, competitive sailing attracts different audiences. The inaugural season of SailGP in 2019 attracted over one million in-person spectators and millions of online viewers, making it one of the most-watched sailing events in the world.

"SailGP is probably the best sailing that you can find in the world," Bruno Dubois, the CEO and Team Manager of France SailGP Team, stated. "We need to partner with companies that keep [up] with us in terms of speed and excellence. This is why we are really excited [about] that partnership with ICM.com. I look forward to the next few months to see how we can perform together."

Meanwhile, other retail brokers are expanding their brand presence within the sports arena with sports deals. Doo Group recently inked a high-profile deal with Manchester United FC to promote its two sub-brands, Doo Prime and Doo Financial. However, brokers are looking at options other than football, as Pepperstone entered into a sports partnership with the Aussie cricket team, Adelaide Strikers, and RoboMarkets is sponsoring Limassol-based AEL women's volleyball club, among many other such deals.