Page 12 - Eurogiro News May2011_web version

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Banca Popolare di Sondrio in Italy roll-outs web based payments platform

Completed in January 2011 and built to handle payments in an integrated manner, the new platform operates independently of payment type and is adapt to all kinds of business

requirements. The European Commission entrusted Banca Popolare di Sondrio with a signifcant part of its SEPA payments

Since the roll-out of SEPA, Banca Popolare di Sondrio (BPS) has been aware of the neces-sity to face the challenge offered by the new market as well as to preserve in an efficient way the important market share within the payment sector. Through the cooperation with a primary international software house, BPS has developed a new payment platform, web based, using the SOA technology enabling the bank to save important costs and allowing it to facilitate implementation of core services and several AOS.

Banca Popolare di Sondrio has been among the first few Italian banks to set up a payment infrastructure that is not based on a main-frame platform (Open system), in order to reduce processing costs and directly handle the new XML messages.

The aim of this project has been to streamline payments handling via a platform that is able to handle payments in an integrated manner independent of the type of payment (SEPA, Correspondent Banking, Cheques etc.) ef-fected and the settlement channel chosen. In the same way, the project has allowed cre-ation of a flexible and dynamic platform that is able to adapt itself to all kind of business requirements requested by customers (both

Corporate/Institutional and retail). Banca Popolare di Sondrio completed its roll-out on the new payments infrastructure during January 2011.

SEPA payments

Today, along with traditional payment services, SEPA products are widely offered: SCT payments and SDD encashing services are already used by several institutional and retail customers.

Amongst them, it is worth underlining that the European Commission has entrusted Banca Popolare di Sondrio with its SEPA payments on some European countries, including Italy. For over a year, Banca Popolare di Sondrio has also been cooperating in a profitable way with other Eurogiro partners on the SEPA Services.

BPS also operates in the remittance and pension markets

Banca Popolare di Sondrio’s provides services also in the mass payments sector, in which it operates with important coun-terparties and for considerable amounts, and also in the remittances sector, with more than 30 counterparties all over the world. Its exclusive participation in the world postal system (Eurogiro) allows the transfer of funds at postal banks for their account holders. BPS also distributes pension fund payments to pensioners in Italy on behalf of many important foreign social security systems, and handles Italian pensions for payees residing abroad. Banca Popolare di Sondrio also guarantees a reliable and much

appreciated customer service distinguished by expertise and professionalism. It has also been entrusted with the role of main bank for payments towards Italy and for global receipt management by many important international institutions. Since 1998, BPS payment ser-vices are quality certified UNI EN ISO 9001 2008. 3

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Facts on Banca Popolare di Sondrio ScpA (BPS)

> Founded in 1871, today BPS has a network of 312 branches and 128 cash counters, located in Northern Italy, the city of Rome and the surrounding area. The bank is noted for its high number of shareholders – over 166,000 – so the share capital of € 924,443,955 is highly fragmented. Its net assets at 31 December 2010 amounted to € 1,590 million

> BPS ScpA controls 100% of Banca Popolare di Sondrio (SUISSE) SA, incorporated under Swiss law with its head offce in Lugano. The subsidiary now has 23 branches in Switzerland and one in Monaco. The Swiss institution, which has capital and reserves of 100 million Swiss Francs, is active in private banking and the commercial sector and confrms BPS’s international role

BPS dealing room at the International Division building in Sondrio