Accenture - Payment operations worldwide are undergoing rapid and sweeping changes

Payment operations worldwide are undergoing rapid and sweeping changes. Within Europe, SEPA -- the Single Euro Payments Area - was brought into force in January 2008 by the European Payment Council, creating an integrated pan-European payments market. Banks' SEPA functionality is now implemented and in operation and SEPA is gaining critical mass in the European banking payments system. There is a growing realization among corporates and public authorities that they must start acting now to support SEPA payments in their ERP systems and electronic banking systems in the years ahead. At the same time, as corporates assume greater control of their payment processes and information, banks are losing out on former fee revenues for cash management, payments processing, accounts, and reporting. To unearth the next generation of payment opportunities, banks need to engage their customers in a much deeper relationship by offering innovative products and aggressively tapping into new revenue streams.

Accenture, through its more than 1,000 dedicated payments professionals, offers its clients a comprehensive set of services to meet their current and future payments and cards needs centered around:

• Strategy (strategy development, operating model & business architecture design, and M&A due diligence for payments and card operations).
• Implementation (re-platforming of core payments and card systems, consolidation of payments operation systems and IT platforms, integration of industry leading software including Clear2Pay, Fundtech, ACI and SAP, transformation and transition of card operations to card processors, re-engineering cash management processes, clearing and settlement infrastructure rationalization, and compliance/security technologies).
• Outsourcing (running and operating payments systems for banks and payments processors).

Clients choose Accenture for its global delivery network, execution capabilities, knowledge and credentials in the fast changing payments and cards industry, and Accenture's practical strategic and operating model advice. For more information on Accenture's payment services visit our global website.