Ljubljana, 19 June 2001

HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK Croatia selects ZASLON HERMES SoftLab to set up its system of electronic banking

HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK d.d. Croatia (www.hypo-alpe-adria.hr) is among the first banks in Croatia to offer companies the possibility of conducting banking transactions via the Internet as early as this year. The bank signed the agreement for setting up the System of Electronic Banking (SEB) with the Slovenia-based company ZASLON (www.zaslon.com), part of the HERMES SoftLab Group. For ZASLON, this is the first international agreement for establishing the System of Electronic Banking.

HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK d.d., which also owns Slavonska banka d.d., is one of the leading banking institutions in the Croatian market. By signing an agreement with ZASLON it has also become one of the first banks in Croatia to offer companies and sole entrepreneurs the possibility of accessing banking services via the Internet. The bank has decided on ZASLON's System of Electronic Banking (SEB), because it provides efficient integrated support for all modern delivery channels, thereby enabling the upgrading and expansion of services on offer. SEB has been installed in all of the main Slovenian banks and is the cornerstone of electronic banking in the country.

»I am pleased that we will be one of the first banks in Croatia to offer companies access to banking services via the Internet. This modern service, which has become common practice abroad, isnow a reality in our country too. By introducing Internet delivery channels, we have improved our accessibility and enabled companies to work efficiently, while reducing the cost of financial services. I am convinced that this project will be a success, since the ZASLON solution has already been proven at HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK Slovenia,« says Ernst Fanzott, Head of the Organisation and IT Department at HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK Croatia.

ZASLON's experts will adapt their e-banking solution for companies in the Croatian market and users will have access to it as early as this year. Companies and sole entrepreneurs will be able to perform banking transactions at their PCs using the MS Windows operating system and having access to the Internet. Banking transactions will thus become convenient, fast and simple; a personal visit to the bank will be necessary only exceptionally. Robert Orlovac, Project Leader for Internet Banking in HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK states, »Security of electronic banking is guaranteed by public key infrastructure (PKI) coupled with the use of smart cards, which is in line with European and world-wide standards and security policies in the banking sector. Smart card security is provided by the French company ActivCard (www.activcard.com).«

Mitja Trampuž, Director of Business Development for Banking in the HERMES SoftLab group commented on ZASLON's accomplishment in Croatia: »The first agreement on setting up the System of Electronic Banking abroad proves the suitability of our solution for the open market. It is a good example of exporting our know-how abroad and a logical consequence of our orientation. This high-quality and innovative solution for electronic banking allows HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK Croatia to quickly adjust to the requirements of secure transactions, reduce costs and establish good relationships with their customers. Following global developments and relying on our over 5 years of experience in developing e-banking solutions in Slovenia, we shall continue to focus our efforts on improving the existing solutions as well as developing new and highly flexible ones.«

The entire solution is based on Microsoft’s Windows NT/2000 server platform and COM (Component Object Model) development technologies. COM is Microsoft’s model providing a wide range of services, tools and applications for developing new solutions for both servers and clients.

»The major advantages of the COM model are its expandability and adjustability in particular,« says Mitja Trampuž. »When using the COM model in ZASLON’s solution it turned out that it is more than suitable for use in the financial sector. We compared COM to competitive technologies and selected it due to the advantages it offers,« adds Trampuž. In the future ZASLON intends to continue developing its solutions using Microsoft’s platform, since both companies are aiming at implementing the strategy of data access anytime, anywhere and from whichever device. For Microsoft, ZASLON’s solution is of major importance,« says Janko Cajhen, BSG Manager at Microsoft Slovenia. »In this way our technologies proved to be suitable for use even in the most demanding business environment.«

ABOUT HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK d.d. Croatia

HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK d.d. Croatia was founded in 1996 in Zagreb and began operating in the Croatian financial market one year later. It is owned by international shareholders of Hypo Alpe Adria Bank AG from Klagenfurt and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. From its very beginning HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK d.d. has achieved very good business results and has become one of the leading financial institutions in Croatia. The HYPO group in Croatia is complemented by Hypo-Leasing Kroatien d.o.o., Hypo, Hypo Alpe-Adria-Consultants d.o.o., providing consulting services mostly to foreign investors, Hypo Alpe-Adria Vrijednosnice d.o.o., functioning as HYPO ALPE-ADRIA-BANK d.d. stock exchange, and Slavonska banka d.d. from Osijek. For more about the bank, go to www.hypo-alpe-adria.hr.

About ZASLON, HERMES SoftLab group

ZASLON d.o.o., a member of the HERMES SoftLab group (www.hermes-softlab.com), is the leading Slovenian company in the development and implementation of distance banking systems, electronic commerce, web applications and security systems on the Internet. The solutions are based on industrial standards and an open-system architecture that also provides for high-level security. ZASLON's principal product is a modular system of electronic banking (SEB), linking heterogeneous computer environments in financial institutions and providing a secure link to various contemporary delivery channels, such as the Internet or mobile banking. The many references of the company include integrated system set-ups for renowned Slovenian and foreign companies, principally banks. ZASLON employs over 100 experts and has its headquarters in Ljubljana. For more information about ZASLON, go to www.zaslon.com. For more information on modern distance banking systems, go to www.bancniasistent.com.