SAP and Callataÿ & Wouters Collaborate to Provide Integrated Banking Solution

Partnership Focuses on Core Operations for Midsize Banks

WALLDORF, Germany and BRUSSELS, Belgium .- SAP AG (NYSE: SAP) and Callataÿ & Wouters today announced a collaboration to offer an end-to-end core banking solution for midsize banks to build a business process platform, based on SAP software and technology. The solution is designed to help banks reduce complexity, increase flexibility, lower costs and leverage leading core banking functionality to unify business processes using an integrated platform.

The strategic collaboration will deploy Callataÿ & Wouters’ proven core banking product “Thaler” and SAP analytics capabilities on a business process platform for banks globally. The collaboration combines the strength of SAP applications and its platform for banks with the software excellence from Callataÿ & Wouters. Banks and their subsidiaries will be able to apply the integrated offering’s scalability and homogeneous standards and services to be enabled to gain competitive advantage, control costs and maintain customer satisfaction.

“The proven technology and business process expertise delivered by SAP, combined with its robust global ecosystem of partners and integrators, is the reason we chose to deploy Thaler, our premier core banking solution, on the business process platform delivered by SAP for the banking industry,” said Marc De Groote, CEO, Callataÿ & Wouters. “The success of our customers was top-of-mind when we formed this partnership. We believe this collaborative effort will make our customers more agile, more efficient and better able to compete in today’s demanding market.”

“The combined experience and knowledge from this partnership will give midsize banks the best of two worlds—enterprise strength and scalability as well as the nimbleness of smaller organizations,” said Léo Apotheker, deputy CEO, member of the executive board and president, Global Customer Solutions and Operations, SAP AG. “Through this collaborative effort, banks will be able to tap into the business value of SOA delivered by the business process platform from SAP. Such banks will also be able to differentiate themselves for growth and profitability with an IT environment that is flexible and agile.”

Callataÿ & Wouters Thaler Solution
Thaler is an integrated banking solution designed to manage the products and operations for securities, deposits, loans, payments and treasury. The high degree of automation and the online feeding of the accounting and analytics layer results in an important reduction of a bank’s operational costs and risks. Thaler enables banks to grow in size and presence and supports quick time-to-market of a variety of products and services to strategically differentiate against competitors. The solution also offers an Internet-based front-office for end customers and branches. Thaler is currently used by 35 banks in 15 countries, representing the major banking domains of retail, private and wholesale.

SAP – Powering the Next Generation Performers in Banking
Leveraging SAP® solutions and enterprise SOA, SAP is enabling a business process platform for the banking industry that is based on the SAP NetWeaver® platform to orchestrate industry-specific, reusable enterprise services and business process elements. In coordination with the SAP for Banking solution portfolio, the business process platform is designed to help banks capture business opportunities quickly, efficiently and profitably. SAP’s partners enrich the platform by adding services that contribute to the banks’ business – but not to IT complexity. SAP recently announced the broad adoption of a business process platform for banking that is fueled by co-innovation with leading banks including Standard Bank, and leading software solution providers, including SunGard, amongst others contributing to the vision of how adaptable IT enables business growth. (See May 14, 2007 announcement, titled “Banks and Insurers Capitalize on New Business Opportunities Through Co-Innovation with SAP and Partners.”)