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August 26, 2003

DEN NORSKE BANK PURCHASES LEVEL FOUR SOFTWARE ATM TOOLS

DnB is first bank outside UK to implement Level Four's ATM testing and development tools

London, 26 August 2003 - Level Four Software, a provider of ATM test and development software today announced that Den norske Bank (DnB), the largest financial services group in Norway, has signed an agreement with Level Four Software to implement key components of its ATM Channel Development Suite. DnB is Level Four's first European customer based outside the UK. This announcement reinforces Level Four's aggressive European growth plans.

The implementation of Level Four's ATM Developer and ATM Simulator modules will enable DnB to customise ATM content, rapidly deploy new services and test its entire network end-to-end with vendor independent tools. DnB has also agreed to implement Level Four's EMV FastTrack module to aid the upgrade of its ATM network in preparation for compliance to the EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) smart card standard. The EMV standard is being introduced worldwide to combat high levels of plastic card fraud. It will also open up opportunities to host multi-applications on a single card. European and UK banks are leading migration to EMV, with the industry deadline set for January 2005.

Den norske Bank is currently investigating the possibilities of this new technology, not only to comply with the EMV standard but also to ensure its retail banking customers' benefit from its introduction. Level Four's comprehensive suite of tools will assist DnB in development and rapid deployment of content and applications and thorough testing of these upgrades to its ATM network, incorporating the complex functionality of EMV smart cards.

"The complexity of EMV smart cards and their compulsory introduction is a challenge for all European banks including DnB. We want to provide our customers with value-added services at the ATM and are looking to deploy new functions that support EMV smart cards. Preparing our ATM networks to support this new functionality is made much simpler with Level Four's products," comments Knut Elnan, ATM Product Manager, Den norske Bank.

Level Four's EMV FastTrack will enable DnB to manage smart card testing from a desktop PC, rather than having to conduct time-intensive, manual testing. EMV FastTrack simulates a real ATM environment and all potential interactions with the host system and payment switch, so that a developer can test an ATM transaction holistically. This results in a more efficient and thorough automated testing environment by reducing development timescales and eliminating the need for manual testing at physical ATMs. It also enables the creation of EMV compatible ATM downloads, simplifying the process of maintaining ATM content and updating to comply with EMV.

Martin Macmillan, CEO Level Four Software comments, "DnB is Level Four's first European customer based outside of the UK. This is an important step for us as our plans for expansion in Europe gather momentum." He continues, "Scandinavia as a whole is more open to the possibilities of multi-application cards, within a shorter timeframe than the UK banks. Our tools provide a straightforward platform for investigating and implementing smart card technology."

Level Four's software is not hard coded or fixed to a certain standard or protocol, so it can easily be updated to meet changing specifications. This also means that further system customisations which all banks inevitably have, are straightforward and cost effective to support. The software is effectively future-proof so a bank's investment in Level Four technology is protected. Level Four believe that ROI is achievable in less than 12 months.

The EMV FastTrack module is also being used by a number of leading UK banks taking part in the Northampton chip and PIN trial. The conversion of a significant number of ATMs in the trial has been simplified using Level Four's products.

Level Four's primary software technology is the ATM Channel Development Suite - a comprehensive toolkit that allows financial institutions to develop, test and rapidly deploy new content and applications within their ATM delivery channels. It includes ATM Simulator, ATM Developer and the EMV FastTrack and 3DES FastTrack plug-ins. 3DES FastTrack is designed to help banks prepare their ATM networks for compliance with the Triple-DES security standard, and supports remote key management functions and Encrypted PIN Pad (EPP) devices.

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About The DnB Group (DnB)
DnB is Norway´s leading financial services group, with around 1.8 million retail customers and more than 70,000 corporate customers. DnB is principal bankers for 60 per cent of Norway´s 300 largest companies, including a number of government and local authorities. The market share of the total Norwegian corporate market is about one-fourth. DnB´s insurance company, Vital Forsikring, has a customer base of approximately 630,000.

DnB has a nationwide network with about 150 own financial services centers and branches and more than 3 400 distribution outlets in cooperation with Norway Post. In addition, DnB has international units in the US, Europe and Asia.

DnB handles payment flows for more than 50 per cent of Norway´s foreign trade and is Norway´s largest capital markets business through DnB Markets. The company is also the country´s leading arranger of financial solutions for commercial customers.

www.DnB.no

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