Swedbank first bank in Ericsson and Sybase alliance

Swedbank first bank in Ericsson and Sybase alliance Ericsson and Sybase earlier this year entered into a strategic alliance within Ericsson's third party program in order to create the market's first always available standard platform for mobile financial services. Swedbank, as the first bank, has now joined the alliance. Swedbank (FöreningsSparbanken) is now joining as the first member of the alliance between Ericsson and Sybase iAnywhere Solutions. The purpose of the alliance is to supply the market's first always available platform for mobile e-commerce, m-commerce, applicable to Ericsson's smartphones and communicators based on the EPOC operating system. Always available implies that services from a mobile phone can be carried out irrespective of whether network coverage exists or not. The solution is to be found in Sybase iAnywhere Solutions' market-leading mobile database, UltraLite, and the synchronization tool, MobiLink. The initiators have the ambition to associate as many banks as possible with the alliance. "We are very pleased with Swedbank being associated with Ericsson and Sybase, and that mobile financial services thereby will be the first project", says Terry Stepien, President of Sybase iAnywhere Solutions. "Ericsson holds a world leading position within mobile technology, Sybase iAnywhere Solutions is market leader within mobile data management, and Swedbank has a well positioned strategy for mobile services within banking and finance. The combination creates unique conditions to enable the developed software applications to be established as an internationally recognized standard platform, which will considerably increase the value in the solutions that are produced", says Stepien. "The development of broad and practical mobile solutions implies simplicity and increased accessibility for all customers who wish to carry out their banking business via a mobile phone", says Håkan Nyberg, Head of Internet Banking at Swedbank. "Mobile Internet solutions will further increase convenience and customer value - and provide a new dimension in the distribution of financial services. It is important that strong partnership players see this development from a customer perspective. The alliance with Sybase iAnywhere Solutions and Ericsson has created the conditions needed to be successful". Swedbank has a leading role in Sweden and northern Europe in the development of financial services within the field of e-business for corporates and households. Swedbank together with jointly owned and independent savings banks and the subsidiary Hansabank, has more than 900.000 Internet banking customers. Swedbank was also the first bank in the Nordic region to offer its customers a WAP service. For further information, please contact: Carl Björkman, Nordic Manager Financial Markets Solutions, Sybase, carl.bjorkman@sybase.com, phone: +46 (0)70-696 29 21 Håkan Nyberg, Senior Vice Presiden and Head of Internet banking, Swedbank, hakan.nyberg@foreningssparbanken.se, phone: +46 (0)70-397 09 04 Jan Ahrenbring, Vice President Marketing and Communications, Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, phone: +46 70 590 9900 Bo Albertson, Marketing Director, Ericsson Mobile Communications AB, phone: + 46 8 764 1388, +46 70 510 09 92 ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/23/20001123BIT01110/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2000/11/23/20001123BIT01110/bit0002.pdf