OMG's Electronic Payments Interoperability Working Group Issues Request for Information; Open to All, Group Seeks Responses by August 2, 2004.

NEEDHAM, Mass. -- The Object Management Group(TM) (OMG(TM)) today announced that its Electronic Payments Interoperability Working Group (EPI-WG) has issued a Request for Information (RFI) to the finance industry and other users and processors of electronic payments. Seeking information about the payment methods they use today and the architecture and standards they would like to see in the future, the RFI is the EPI-WG's first step in standardizing a worldwide electronic payments framework that will bridge interoperability gaps that separate multiple payment models, protocols, and data and message formats. Taking advantage of OMG's Model Driven Architecture(R) (MDA(R)), EPI-WG members will use the information they receive to shape a standard electronic payments framework that lets institutions everywhere interoperate without replacing existing systems.

Any company or organization, OMG member or not, can respond to the RFI. Each e-payment constituency - payments processor, transfer agent, or user - has its own set of priorities. The EPI-WG hopes to hear from members of each, allowing it to scope and prioritize the set of standards that will comprise the interoperable payments framework. If your company processes or uses electronic payments, or has an interest in this area, the group would like to hear from you. For details about how and what to submit, download the RFI document from www.omg.org/payments-rfi. The deadline for responses is 5:00 PM US EDT on August 2, 2004.

EPI-WG members will review RFI responses during the OMG Technical Meeting week in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, August 23-27, 2004 and use this information as they build a roadmap for the payment standards framework. Submitters will be invited to present their material at the meeting, although this is not required. OMG is an open-membership, not-for-profit computer industry specifications consortium; interested non-member responders are welcome to join OMG and remain involved as this work progresses from roadmap to finished standard. For more information about the EPI-WG and OMG membership, contact Nicole Glazen Rikkinen at [e-mail].

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