(Oslo 13.11.01) EDB Business Partner's wholly owned subsidiary EDB Fellesdata and the Polish IT company Ster-Projekt SA have today signed a letter of intent to form and operate a joint venture company in Poland. The new company, EDB Ster Polska Sp. zo.o, will have capital of over PLN 10 Million, with EDB Fellesdata holding 51% and Ster-Projekt holding 49%.

EDB Ster Polska is to be established for the marketing, sales, delivery and support of banking and brokerage software products, including outsourcing, to the Polish market. Its activities will be based on EDB Fellesdata's product portfolio together with products and services from Ster-Project. The company will be in place by January 2002, with an initial staff of approximately 15 employees.

Solutions and services to be provided
The new company's activities will initially focus on software components and solutions, primarily for retail banking. The solutions provided cater for the banks' CRM needs. Examples of the products to be offered include self-service channel solutions (e.g. telephone banking and Internet banking for both private and corporate customers) including security and channel administration and based on an advanced e-Banking concept, advanced branch solutions including self-service branches and call centre solutions, and complete retail banking systems.
A wide range of outsourcing services will gradually be introduced to address a maturing market for outsourcing services. This is an area which has been state-of-the-art in the Nordic region for a long time.

Expanding EDB's geographical presence
"It is EDB Business Partner's strategy to expand its business into new strategic markets by establishing a local presence. Competencies and modern IT-solutions are key issues in addressing any bank's needs, and we can meet these needs by adapting, integrating and deploying our modern IT-solutions. Forming the joint venture company EDB Ster Polska is part of our international strategy, and Poland is a growing and highly interesting market, in which we are very keen to have a presence", comments Ole Trasti, Managing Director of EDB Fellesdata.

"EDB Fellesdata's competencies and offering of products and services, combined with the services that Ster-Projekt offers to the Polish market, will give EDB Ster Polska strengths that will ensure a highly competitive position. We believe this alliance will create new standards for the Polish bank and finance market", states Piotr Smolski, President of Ster-Projekt.

Ster-Projekt
Ster-Projekt SA is a nation-wide integrator of advanced IT solutions and dates back to 1986. The company made its debut on the free market of the Warsaw Stock Exchange in December 1999, and its shares were listed on the main floor of WSE for the first time in March 2000.
The company's structure comprises a headquarters operation in Warsaw and branches around the country. Universal products and services are aimed at all groups of IT users. These primarily relate to hardware and network infrastructure, basic system software and generic application tools. Ster-Projekt specialises in telecommunications solutions and offers expertise in the implementation of integrated systems for computer-assisted management (MRP/ERP) as well as providing dedicated solutions such as command and control systems for the Polish armed forces. Ster-Projekt carries out complex IT and data communications projects.
The introduction of advanced products into the market forms an important part of the company's development policy.
The philosophy of the company's operations, together with its potential, knowledge, achievements and accomplishments, has won the recognition as a leading providers of IT and telecommunications technologies.
Ster-Projekt is a partner of world-leading manufacturers including Hewlett-Packard, Compaq, SAP Polska, FileNET, BroadVision, Baltimore, IBM, Gemplus, Unisys, Microsoft, SUN Microsystems, Cisco, EMC, Oracle and Ericsson.


EDB Business Partner
EDB Business Partner is one of the leading IT groups in the Nordic region. The group generated operating revenue of NOK 4.5 billion in 2000 and has more than 3,500 employees. EDB Business Partner offers software systems, consultancy and computer operating services. The EDB Business Partner expertise in the areas of bank & finance and telecommunications forms the basis for the group's international expansion beyond the Nordic countries. The bank & finance area is operated by the wholly owned subsidiary EDB Fellesdata, which is a software house providing banking applications and services.
EDB Fellesdata already has three international subsidiaries - Infovention and eConnect in Sweden, and MaXware in Benelux.
One of the targeted markets outside the Nordic area is Poland, where EDB Business Partner sees a significant market potential for the wide range of systems and services it offers to the bank and finance sector.

Contact names:
Ole Trasti, Managing Director, EDB Fellesdata AS and Executive Vice President, Bank & Finance in EDB Business Partner,
Tel. +47 22 52 82 60, +47 90 08 91 00

Piotr Smolski, President of Ster-Project SA
Tel. +48 22 60 77 105, +48 22 60 77 200