BPC and Alfa Bank:<br>having completed Alfa Bank Express the companies are looking ahead

Banking Production Centre (BPC), and JSC "Alfa Bank" have recently announced the successful completion of the bank's processing centre integration into the new retail business infrastructure that was an important milestone of Alfa Bank Express project.

The implementation of a set of information systems designed to become a foundation of Alfa Bank's retail business was one of the key elements of Alfa Bank Express, a large-scale project launched more than 3 years ago and involving the deployment of a wide network of retail branches of the new format. The program of IT restructuring adopted in the framework of the project was supposed to cover a series of strategic projects including the modernization of Alfa Bank's processing infrastructure to bring it in line with the requirements of the bank's new retail business.

Acting as one of the subcontractors selected by Accenture for Alfa Bank Express project BPC designed a new retail business model where the banking card comes as a universal identifier of a client and the means of on-line access to the financial services through any delivery channel.

The next important step of BPC and Alfa Bank's joint efforts was to renovate the processing centre of the bank and to replace the software components providing for card issuance and acquiring with BPC's solutions — SmartVista Front-End switching system and SmartVista Back-Office card management system. The decision to migrate to the new solutions was substantiated by the inability of upgrade and modernization of TPII and TP-CMS products from IFS International formerly deployed at the bank.

The project resulted in the integration of Alfa Bank's processing centre with the core banking system Equation from Misys, call-centre, e-payments system and Internet Bank. By now the bank's processing infrastructure has been entirely migrated to SmartVista solution, and the products previously used for payment card processing are out of operation.

"BPC and Alfa Bank have been teaming up in establishing retail business infrastructure for more than six years already. This period was marked by a series of successful joint projects. We are confident that the new processing solution with SmartVista in its core deployed by BPC will enable Alfa Bank to efficiently expand its card-based retail business and provide its customers with superior service, attractive card products and easy-to-use delivery channels", said Vilen Timiryazev, Vice-president, Director of Processing Centre, Alfa Bank.

"The key principles of Alfa Bank's retail business have always been functional flexibility of IT systems and the strictest quality control over the supplied solutions and project implementation procedures. The trust that we have been granted by the bank pursuing highest business standards gives us serious grounds to be optimistic about the future of our solutions and professional services both in Russia and the rest of the world," said Anatoly Loginov, President & CEO, Banking Production Centre.

Alfa Bank, one of the Russia's largest privately owned banks, was founded in 1990. Alfa Bank is present in every key sector of the financial service industry, including corporate banking, retail banking, investment banking, trade finance, insurance and asset management. The Bank is ranked among the most reliable and dynamically developing financial institutions that combines a thorough knowledge of the specific characteristics of the Russian market with the very highest Western standards. Alfa Bank's branch network has grown to 120, including subsidiary banks in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and the Netherlands. In 2003 Alfa Bank has announced the launch of its new retail business, operating under the "Alfa Bank Express" brand introducing state-of-the-art retail services for private individual and small business customers.