Under terms of the agreement, First Data in Poland will provide a full range of outsourced issuing and payment processing services for SK bank's debit, credit and prepaid card portfolios. First Data will also enable the bank to access card payment data on a 24/7 basis. Another key aspect of the agreement will be the implementation of Proactive Risk Manager, a fraud transaction monitoring system provided by First Data.

"I would like to emphasize that we always choose our business partners carefully, with the welfare of SK bank customers being our first priority," said Jan Bajno, chief executive of SK bank. "First Data has met the high standards required by SK bank from a payments and card processing perspective. The company has over 20 years experience and provides high levels of security, supported by industry certificates. As SK bank develops, we plan to broaden our product portfolio and introduce state-of-the-art multi-application cards and cards that are not currently available in the Polish market. We are sure that First Data will support us during the implementation of these planned projects."

"We are pleased that SK bank, a respected company with a long tradition in Poland, chose First Data as the main processor of its bank card portfolio," said Janus Diemko, managing director of First Data in Poland. "In our view, SK bank's decision to outsource such a wide range of responsibilities for existing and planned new products is testament to First Data's capabilities and credibility and shows an appreciation for the quality of our work."