Australia Implements World's First Mondex Origination System; ACI Worldwide Software Installed at Mondex Australia Delivers Key E-cash Infrastructure.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

OMAHA, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 13, 2000

ACI Worldwide (Nasdaq: TSAI) and Mondex Australia announce the introduction of the world's first full-function Mondex Originator system to support smart card electronic cash.

Installation of the Originator Territory Management System-developed by ACI Worldwide-makes Australia the world's first Mondex franchise that is fully compliant with certification requirements established by the scheme's global administrator, Mondex International.

Mondex electronic cash differs from other e-cash schemes through its ability to be more cash-like as value moves from one Mondex card to another. This offers lower operating costs and enables immediate receipt of value by acceptors, such as merchants or even other cardholders.

The management and control of Mondex e-cash in circulation in any particular currency territory is the responsibility of an `Originator'-set up by the local Mondex franchisee. The Mondex Originator in each currency territory plays a role similar to that of a central bank in relation to traditional cash, by creating and distributing Mondex electronic value and ensuring the integrity of the system.

According to Michael Shreeve, head of Origination at Mondex Australia, the Originator for Australia is set up as part of the infrastructure currently being built for the introduction of Mondex e-cash by its member organizations. "We are very pleased to be the first Mondex Originator with a fully compliant system. The implementation of the new system is the culmination of a coordinated effort between Mondex Australia, ACI and Mondex International," Shreeve said. "We have created a scalable solution to meet our current and future needs. The system includes modules to support transfers of Mondex value to and from Mondex members, and to conduct analysis on member transactions with their cardholders and merchants as part of the Originator's scheme monitoring role. It also has the potential to support multiple territories and currencies."

"The Originator Territory Management System completes ACI's set of Mondex products," said Rob White, vice president of ACI Worldwide's Smart Card division. "ACI can now provide end-to-end solutions to support the spectrum of relationships for card issuers--with their cardholders, their merchants, their Originator, and also card manufacturers and other service providers."

"Mondex is now the most market-ready e-cash scheme in Australia, due to the commitment and investment by members to deliver a complete scheme platform," said Rod Amos, head of Marketing and Member Relations for Mondex Australia. "Mondex is the only multi-member electronic cash scheme effectively set up and ready to support implementations by existing and new members. The Originator system is a key piece of the operational infrastructure we have been building over the past two years.

"Increasingly, attention is focusing on opportunities for e-cash for secure, smaller value payments, such as Internet transactions where use of credit cards is not economical. Mondex is the most suitable and cost-effective solution, and it can sit alongside other applications like ID and loyalty programs on the Multos smart card platform," Amos added.

About ACI Worldwide

ACI Worldwide (Nasdaq: TSAI) is helping customers change the way the world works with Transaction Smoothware(TM) designed to improve the way we live, work and shop. Every minute of every day, financial institutions, retailers and networking industries rely on ACI software and services to smoothly move money and information. As a leading international provider of software for electronic commerce and electronic payments, ACI maintains operations in the Americas, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Asia/Pacific. More than 2,300 customers in 79 countries use ACI distributed solutions. Visit ACI Worldwide on the Internet at www.aciworldwide.com.

About Mondex Electronic Cash

Mondex is the most `cash-like' of stored value or electronic cash schemes being introduced around the world as a more convenient way of making payment both in the physical and virtual worlds. It offers the advantage of allowing retailers and consumers to send and receive Mondex value securely down a telephone line, through a mobile phone or over the Internet.

Mondex is the only electronic cash system in the world to operate with a single global technology allowing for cross-country payments. Up to five different currencies can be carried on the card at any one time. This international capability and the secure transfer of value (even across insecure networks) make it ideal for Internet transactions -especially for smaller amounts, where other payment types (e.g. credit) are not practical.

Unlike other stored value systems, the high-security of Mondex means that it does not require central reporting and settlement of transactions, making it the lowest cost electronic cash system. Other schemes, such as central recording and settling schemes, automatically impose a processing overhead cost on every transaction, making widespread use for small value transactions every transaction uneconomical.

In September 1999, Mondex (and the MULTOS operating system it runs on) became the first commercial products to be awarded the highest ITSEC (Information Technology Security Evaluation Criteria) security rating level of `E6'.

About Mondex Origination

Traditional notes and coin are issued by the central bank and circulate among consumers and retailers in return for goods and services.

In the Mondex scheme the electronic version of cash is created by an Originator for each currency. The Originator issues Mondex value to scheme members who will, in turn, distribute it to their cardholders. Then, just like cash, the Mondex value is exchanged among consumers and retailers as payment for goods and services. Retailers can return Mondex value for credit to their account, just as they bank their cash takings.

Globally, Originators will exchange Mondex value representing their local currency, so that consumers will be able to load foreign currency value onto their Mondex cards and make purchases when traveling, or over the Internet.

About Mondex Australia (MXA)

MXA is the owner of the Mondex electronic cash franchise for Australia. It is owned by Australia's four major banks: ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, National Australia Bank and Westpac.

Mondex Australia's role is to develop the operational infrastructure to facilitate deployment of the Mondex electronic cash product by the scheme's members and the licensing of additional members to issue Mondex cards.

About Mondex International (MXI)

MXI (51% owned by MasterCard International) is a world leader in the provision of smart card based products and services. MXI developed, and is responsible for, the MULTOS operating system, the high security, multi application smart card platform of the future.

The MULTOS platform includes unique end-to-end card management to simplify the process and reinforce the business case for smart card issuance. It is available on a non-proprietary `open system' basis to ensure that it becomes a standard for smart cards in all sectors including finance, retail, travel, media and telecommunications.

MULTOS is already being adopted by major players in financial services, telecoms and government. The platform can hold a number of applications, such as credit, debit, loyalty and ticketing functions, and can run them securely and independently on a single smart card.

Mondex is now under development in over 75 countries. (Website: www.mondex.com)