Misys Retail Banking Unveils Future Strategy and Supporting Products.

LONDON -- Misys Retail Banking today announced its forward strategy which includes a series of new product developments, partnerships and acquisitions. At the heart of the Misys strategy is the creation of a new banking software architecture - Equation Plus - that has been designed to help banks respond to the shifting boundaries between retailing and banking. Misys is also extending its ability to meet the needs of smaller ambitious banks and off-shore institutions with the acquisition of IDOM UK to create Bankmaster Plus, the only banking technology designed specifically for this sector.

Andrew Derrer, CEO of Misys Retail Banking comments: "Banks of all sizes have to adapt to a very different market where customers expect more sophisticated products from more channels in more ways. The only way banks can succeed is by either cutting costs and competing on price, or, more profitably, by out-retailing their competition as well as out-banking them. Banks need to have the right architecture in order to make this move."

With 450 customers on five continents, Misys Retail Banking has used its extensive knowledge in to develop a strategy and product platform that will continue to support existing customers, but which, critically, allows both existing and new customers to evolve and prepare for the future. Design criteria included:

--Lowering the cost of IT infrastructure

--Creating opportunities for banks to drive profitable differentiation without costly bespoke work

--Addressing compliance issues across the bank rather through a series of tactical initiatives

About Equation Plus

Equation Plus is a multi-layered, multi-channel architecture founded on the migration of Equation (already used by over 200 banks across the world), to a new, standards-based open Java platform. It can substantially cut IT operating costs by:

--Providing more vendor choice on hardware and operating systems 

--Making integration projects faster, easier and therefore cheaper

--Giving access to a far wider skills pool

--Fitting in with the long term strategic intent of the vast majority of the world's banks.

With no end-of-day, real-time analytics and all-the-time banking, Equation Plus enables the bank to have a single view of each customer, and vice versa, providing sophisticated relationship management both for sales and service, and for market analytics. These facilities are delivered through the pre-integrated Misys Enterprise Platform, powered by software from S1 Corporation. S1 and Misys announced an agreement under which Misys will distribute and implement S1's Enterprise front-office solutions throughout Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia.

Equation Plus Migration Path and Partners

The Misys Multi-channel and Relationship Management tools will be fully pre-integrated with Equation and released Q1 2005. Equation Plus, the 100% Java system, integrated with Multi-channel, CRM and with no end-of-day run will be shipped to customers during 2005. The business process and rules engine components will be released shortly afterwards.

About Bankmaster Plus

Bankmaster Plus integrates the hugely successful Misys Bankmaster LAN suite with sophisticated front-end technology from IDOM UK to create an exciting new banking technology designed specifically for smaller ambitious banks

Integration of existing Misys platforms

Bankmaster RS is a strong existing Misys platform used by many larger banks. With its open nature and sophisticated transactional capability, it is the bedrock for some of the world's best financial institutions.