De Novo, a company providing professional IT service, announces the annexation of Metasoft LLC, a developer of programming solutions for retail banking automation (www.metasoft.com.ua), and acquisition of exclusive property rights on all developments of the company. Metasoft business consultants, architects and developers who have 18 years experience in the banking domain will form a new department of De Novo – Banking Technologies Competence Center.

Metasoft has been active in the banking automation market since 1999. During this time the employees of the company developed programming solutions and systems which became popular not only in Ukraine but also abroad. The company’s project credit counts implementation of its own solutions to the largest banks of the country. “Among the first developments of the experts of our company before Metasoft was founded was BBD (Bank Business Day) system – an integrated automated system of banking (IASOB), implemented in the Ukraina Bank which was one of the largest banks of the country at that period, says Vasily Buzuyev, founder and head of Metasoft, now top manager of De Novo Banking Technologies Competence Center. Our experts brought about an impossible project for that time. Within its frame the system started operating in 500 balance branches of the bank. In the whole post-Soviet territory there were only two projects bigger than ours.”

Among the developments of Metasoft are retail banking system and Metalcard integrated card processing, Metacard retail banking system with the elements of card processing (altogether in Ukraine more than 200000 of such cards were emitted ), with features equaling the well-known Visa system.

Metasoft specialists have successfully completed the implementation projects in such banks as Metallurg, PrivatBank, Credit Dnepr, Bank Pivdenny, Ukrsibbank, and Forum.

The experience received by Metasoft experts allowed the developers to cover a wider range of automated banking processes, and after a while the company presented to the market MS Retail, the system meant for serving of individuals by banks active in the retail segment.

Initially MS Retail was created based on the concept of service-oriented architecture (SOA) on a modern platform which allowed scaling the development as much as it was required. Today the system is able to serve more than one million of individuals and allows performing several million payment transactions per day. MS-Retail is a centralized system which ensures nonstop (true 24×7) operation in multiinstitutional mode and has three-level architecture. It is based on a patented Metasoft solution – multichannel system of mass service with anisochronous processing. MS-Retail is based on j2ee platform which simplifies the utilization of web services and, thus, the integration of front office systems allowing the expansion of sales channels by means of internet-banking, mobile-banking with the widest functionality. The system seamlessly integrates gateways into payment systems, card processing centers, self-service terminal networks.

Besides, the solution architecture ensures simplified process of integration of the solution into the operating bank systems.

Since January 26, 2009 Metasoft team has become part of De Novo and formed Banking Technologies Competence Center. Aside from implementing its own solutions, the center will specialize in the implementation of integrated solutions for the banks, based on the service-oriented architecture. Developments created by De Novo specialists are meant to integrate bank systems into a single information environment. “Annexation of Metasoft is the most important step in the realization of De Novo strategy of developing a system of professional IT-services for our clients. Having started from the infrastructure level of solutions, De Novo enters the market of business applications and branch consulting, thinks Maxim Ageyev, CEO of De Novo. The topical problem for the new Competence Center is not only continuing the ongoing projects and effective client support but also developing breakthrough competences – from data integration to innovative solutions in the domain of Business Intelligence for banking.”

“Today there is a great problem in the financial sphere – IT-environment of the banks consists of too many different information systems. Their replacement or liquidation is a painful experience for any bank, says Vasily Buzuyev, head of De Novo Banking Technologies Competence Center. The solutions we offer will allow organizing the interaction of these systems using a single integration platform which greatly simplifies data processing and exchange. Our projects will combine Metasoft experience with De Novo competences in the domain of infrastructure level of IT-solutions.”

“De Novo methodology and developers’ experience will allow smooth transferring of the banks’ IT-systems to the brand new service-oriented level. There won’t be any revolutionary interference which might have negative influence upon banks’ business, states Gennady Karpov, CTO of De Novo. These new features of their computational environments will allow banks strengthening their marketing positions at this difficult stage of development of the Ukrainian economy. SOA will allow not only increasing the reaction to the marketing changes but also reducing the price of mass consumer service and, thus, will allow reducing the time of market launch of new banking products which will consist some two weeks.”