Sybase announces the signing of a major integration deal with Qatar Islamic Bank today

On application from QIB's board of directives concerning the development of the bank services using top-edged technologies and banking data systems, the bank signed a contract with Sybase-Middle East.

"The solution chosen by Qatar Islamic Bank relies on Sybase Financial Fusion middleware; the proposed middleware will provide the bank with full integration of front and back-end systems," declared Mr. Al Batrawi, QIB Asst.General Manager/Branches & Info-tech. "It will allow QIB to acquire the top-edged banking technology, based on a Board-approved strategy that stipulates the development of banking technology. Infrastructure is the most proper access to ensure the best customer services."

After evaluating a number of other integration solutions, Qatar Islamic Bank selected Sybase Financial Fusion which is ranked number one worldwide by Celenet Communication as the best financial middleware System that helps financial services organizations to migrate to component architecture.

The contract was signed by Mr.Yahia Al Batrawi frim QIB, and Mr.Tony Achkar Sybase Regional Sales Manager, in presence of Mr. Rashed Al Kobaissi, QIB Executive Manager for Info-tech & Automated Services and Mr. Yves Khoneisser, Sybase Professional Services Manager - ME Area

Mr. Al Kobaissi, QIB Executive Manager for Info-tech & Automated Services stated that the expected benefits from Sybase advanced solutions lay in enabling the bank to service its customers efficiently. The project offers as well interactive possibilities with retail and corporate customers in addition to enhancing QIB's competitiveness, he added.

The solution integrates Sybase Financial Fusion Server with the bank's core banking application, Phoenix, a trade finance system and the switch system. This enables QIB to migrate to a component-based architecture that is capable of providing all services, integration links and support for existing and future financial application. In addition to that Sybase Application Server offers a scalable and open platform, which provides a common framework to accelerate application development. Sybase Enterprise Application Server is the only of its kind that supports all component models, including J2EE, COM, CORBA, C/C++ and PowerBuilder.

Sybase integration solution will provide QIB with full integration of front and back end systems as well as it will allow QIB to add any new system with additional services to customers efficiently.

" Vital regional banks are rapidly realizing the business market's need for migrating their systems into customer-centric banking systems, that allow them to join front-office customer interaction with middle office operations and back-office transaction processing. This is where Sybase Financial Fusion expertise lies in integrating all operations, core banking application with current and future applications" said George Khouri, Managing Director, Sybase Middle East.

Sybase Financial Fusion provides integrated financial solutions to more than 200 of the world's leading financial institutions. Financial Fusion Server is a component-based, middleware platform for e-financial services. Based on state-of-the-art application servers, Financial Fusion Server provides a set of development tools, business components, servers and application templates that enable the development and deployment of applications for on-line banking and institutional securities trading.

It supports the Open Financial Exchange (OFX) protocol for on-line banking, the Financial Information exchange (FIX) and the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications (SWIFT) protocol for securities trading.