Five banks in UK Crown Dependencies purchase card solutions from EDB

(Oslo, 13 January 2004) Five offshore banks have signed contracts with EDB Business Partner to purchase a complete card solution, including operating services, production and user support. The contracts run for five years and together generate business volume of NOK 15 million.

AIB Bank (Isle of Man) Limited, AIB Bank (CI) Limited, Close Bank, NM Rothschild & Sons (CI) Limited and Singer & Friedlander (Isle of Man) Limited are to buy solutions and services for their card activities. These banks principally focus on Offshore Private Banking. They are all subsidiaries of either Irish or UK financial institutions, but operate as independent units. As such they are subject to regulation in the Isle of Man, Jersey or Guernsey and in all cases this imposes strict requirements on confidentiality and security. The complete solution will come into production during the first quarter of 2004.
 
EDB, working in partnership with TAG Systems and Teller, will supply a complete solution including operating services, card production and user support for the banks and their cardholders. EDB Bank & Finance will supply existing components for card administration and authorisation as well as a new web-based work process solution. Operating services will be supplied by EDB IT Operations.
 
TAG Systems will produce the actual cards and provide support for the banks' cardholders through its 24-hour customer centre. Teller will carry out settlement and billing through the international VISA network.
 
"EDB has expertise and systems to support our multi currency Card Business. This venture with EDB will enable Allied Irish Offshore to meet it's future requirements and more importantly those of it's customers. At the same time EDB are in the technological forefront of Smart Card Development and we look forward to working with them more closely in the future", comments Mr. Paul Cashin, Manager in Allied Irish Offshore.
 
"EDB is bringing together components and services from its own portfolio and from its partners to deliver a complete solution to these banks. This contract confirms our expertise in international card activities with products and components that meet the market's requirements for cost efficiency, security and scalability," explains Ole Urdahl, Executive Vice President -EDB Bank & Finance.
 
"In addition to our collaboration on this contract with TAG and Teller, the UK based company Net Express International is our local partner for sales and customer development. Net Express International is our door-opener for the UK and Offshore market, and we are now in discussion with several more banks that are interested in our international card solutions," adds Ole Urdahl.
 
 
Any enquiries may be addressed to:
Ole Urdahl, Executive Vice President - Bank & Finance, EDB Business Partner.
Tel. +47 22 52 82 60
Reidar Gjærum, Executive Vice President - Corporate Communications, EDB Business Partner.
Tel. +47 908 55 101
 
 
EDB Business Partner is one of the leading suppliers of IT operations and software in the Nordic region. We provide industry-leading total solutions in the areas of banking and finance, telecommunications and IT operations. Our objective is to contribute to our customers' value creation by offering productivity-enhancing IT solutions combined with flexible and reliable operating solutions with unique economies of scale. EDB Business Partner has some 2,500 employees with turnover of NOK 4.3 billion in 2002. We are represented in Norway, Sweden, the USA, England, France, Spain and Switzerland. EDB Business Partner is listed on Oslo Børs with the ticker code EDBASA.