Banking Software in West Africa Gets A Huge Boost

Distributors of TEMENOS banking software in West Africa, has announced a partnership with an additional four global IT solutions providers.
The four companies, Fiorano, Digital Persona, R-Systems and Verisim, offer a range of IT support services to financial institutions and were unveiled at a GSL Partners and Clients meeting in Accra.
These Partners specialise in critical IT solutions such as biometric identification verification, provision of a secure, scalable platform for a “real-time information network” for financial institutions, as well as provision of software simulation solutions for training among others.
According to O’tunji Agbaje, Executive Director of Inlaks Computers Limited, the signing on of these companies will boost the services it renders to financial institutions.
“This is like moving to the next level in our relationship with our clients. We go out there to bring the best products and services in the market to our clients.
“With these new products, we expect seamless operation in our various clients’ service delivery. If you’re going to surpass competition, you need to do things differently. Basically these are the sought of products that financial institutions can take advantage of,” he said.
Of the four companies, Fiorano, for instance integrates complementary banking services such as ATM, SMS and internet banking with core banking services to boost operational efficiency and productivity among banks.
Speaking at the GSL partnership meeting, S.S. Tarakaram, Fiorano’s Director of Business Development said the latest deal will allow the software giant to make a strong incursion into the sub-region.
“Most of the banks are running point to point integration and manual coding. Should there be a change management from the Bank of Ghana, the turnaround time in getting the business up for the bank is huge. Fiorano cuts down that time by more than 70-80%,” he added.
For Digital Persona, a US-company, the partnership allows it to spread its footprints to the sub-Saharan region. In an interview the B&FT, Michel Nerrant, Director of the company’s Business Development, said one of its core specialties will be the empowering of banks to deal with fraud detection.
“You have people who are defrauding these institutions by faking identities, or opening dubious multiple accounts or don’t have proper documents; we provide that security level by using customers’ biometrics in order to identify customers uniquely,” Mr. Nerrant added.
Aruna Savant, Vice President Domain Consulting of R-Systems, which offers a Loan Management System to financial institutions, said the growth in the sub-region’s banking industry requires a comprehensive lending solution that will allow banks do loans in a big way.
Responding to questions on why Versim moved to Africa, its Business Development Manager, Kath Wallace, said the deal with Global Solutions will allow it to offer its range of banking solutions to the West Africa region using Ghana as a hub.
“Versim’s simulations bring a new and interesting focus on e-learning. Staff who are well trained are more productive, provide an enhanced service to a Bank’s customers and are more satisfied in their everyday roles. E-learning provides a consistent standard of training at anytime, anywhere and in any language, text based or audio,” she said.
The GSL Business Partners’ and Clients’ Conference which was held on the theme “Thriving through Innovative Process Efficiency” was attended by clients, business partners and industry representatives.
GSL is a member of the multinational Inlaks Computers, which is one of the largest vendors of information technology services and infrastructure to the financial, manufacturing and government sectors in the sub-region — and is also a Business Partner for Emerson Network Power (Liebert range of UPS), Watford Control, Ramco and ORACLE.
Currently, ARB APEX Bank, Bank of Ghana, Cal Bank, HFC Bank, UniBank, The Royal Bank, City Investments Company, UT Bank, First Capital Bank, EB-Accion Savings and Loans, and all 130 Rural/Community Banks among others are using its TemenosT24 platform.