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June 07, 2004

LEVEL FOUR EXTENDS EUROPEAN OUTREACH WITH SECOND HUNGARIAN CUSTOMER

Giro Bankcard deploys ATM solutions from Level Four to support ATM channel expansion

London, June 7, 2004 - Level Four Software, the leading provider of ATM test and development software, today announced that Giro Bankcard Ltd (GBC) has licensed ATM Channel Development Suite to provide development support and end-to-end testing of its shared ATM network. GBC also intend to deploy Level Four's EMV FastTrack to support migration to the new EMV standard during 2005.

Based in Budapest, GBC operates an outsourcing operation to provide ATM device driving for banks in Hungary. GBC hosts approximately 750 ATMs and provides ATM acquirer services, switching and authorisation. GBC required a solution to support its ATM download image file maintenance, particularly given increasing pressure to offer more sophisticated multi-lingual screen maintenance and new types of transactions services, such as mobile phone top up.

GBC selected Level Four because of its proven ability in financial services, the advanced capabilities of ATM Channel Development Suite and its knowledge of European and Hungarian banking. Level Four already supports OTP Bank, the largest retail bank in Hungary, with ATM network enhancement and preparations for EMV.

Using Level Four's ATM Developer, GBC can design, configure and test new ATM content from a desktop PC environment, drastically reducing time to market of new content across its ATM network. In parallel, GBC will use ATM Simulator to automate testing by simulating the ATM environment in a realistic manner. This is particularly significant as GBC manages ATMs from a number of vendors including NCR, IBM, Olivetti and Siemens.

The volume of testing required to implement or upgrade new services across multiple vendors can be intensive, proving to be both costly and time consuming. ATM Simulator allows GBC to fully automate the testing process so that staff no longer have to manually test transactions on real ATMs. This results in dramatic cost reductions and reduced exposure to risk.
GBC intends to implement Level Four's EMV FastTrack module to aid the upgrade of its shared ATM network in preparation for compliance to the EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) smart card standard. EMV FastTrack will assist GBC in the rapid deployment of content and applications incorporating the complex functionality of EMV smart cards.

Dr. György Timár, CEO, Giro Bankcard Ltd, comments: "Partnering with a proven vendor is vital to the expansion of our ATM business and to the Hungarian banking community. We currently operate and manage 25% of the country's ATMs so it is critical that the service is modern, reliable and secure. Level Four's solutions give us the confidence to make continual enhancements and rapidly roll out updated content and services."

Martin Macmillan, CEO, Level Four comments, "Our flexible product suite caters for any type of ATM device, which has been crucial in supporting Giro Bankcard's multi-vendor ATM estate. Level Four's tools take away the need for duplicate programming or testing, which inevitably impacts time and costs, to ensure a streamlined process of ATM development and roll out. Giro Bankcard is an important client for us and strengthens our presence in Hungary."

Giro Bankcard (GBC) is Hungary's leading provider of outsourced ATM/POS acquiring and card issuing services for financial institutions. GBC operates 730 ATMs in Hungary and 10 ATMs in Romania. GBC also provides international card scheme authorisation for Amex, Visa and Mastercard; ATM transaction switching; card issuer services and "stand in" EFT payment authorisation facilities. Under the supervision of the Hungarian Financial Supervisory Authority, GBC operates - in co-operation with the National Bank of Hungary - the only domestic system for inter-bank clearing and settlement of card transactions for domestic banks. In 2003, due to the high availability level of services, 40 Million transactions were processed without a single standstill of the Tandem/Himalaya system.
Visit Giro Bankcard Ltd at http://www.gbc.hu

About Level Four

Level Four’s integrated BRIDGE suite of open ATM software products have been developed to address the needs of ATM deployers seeking to maximise their investment in the ATM channel. BRIDGE is targeted at banks and ATM deployers who are running, or seeking to run, a modern ATM network based on the industry-wide CEN/XFS open standard. As a true holistic offering, BRIDGE recognises the needs of ATM deployers in the areas of installation, testing and monitoring as well as run-time ATM software.

Since 1995, Level Four has built an impressive global customer base of banks and payments processors including, Royal Bank of Scotland, Lloyds TSB, National Bank of Dubai, Rabobank, LINK and Standard Bank of South Africa. Headquartered in Dunfermline, Scotland, Level Four also has offices in Dubai and Charlotte NC.


For further information contact:

Martin Macmillan
Level Four Software Ltd
Tel: +44 (0) 1383 720 118

E-mail: martin@levelfour.com

Hotwire PR
Alexandra Kedward
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7608 4633
E-mail: alexandra.kedward@hotwirepr.com