The roll out of these services - which will be marketed under the name Bank of Ireland Payment Acceptance - will commence later this year. Under this exclusive arrangement, Bank of Ireland and EVO will provide merchant customers with a wide range of market-leading debit and credit card payment solutions.

By combining EVO's full suite of services with the Bank's reputation and reach, Bank of Ireland Payment Acceptance will offer a variety of solutions that will appeal to both new and existing customers. Forty full time jobs have been immediately created through the roll out of Bank of Ireland Payment Acceptance, with considerable scope for future job creation.

"Bank of Ireland is delighted to be expanding the service we offer our customers through our return to the delivery of merchant acquiring services. This is a significant deal for us, and we are ambitious for the roll out of this service across the island of Ireland. This partnership will offer new and existing customers cutting-edge payment solutions, and will change how consumers use their credit and debit cards," said Gavin Kelly, Director Consumer Banking at Bank of Ireland. "We selected EVO as our exclusive partner due to their deep knowledge of payments, their proven track record with other market leaders across Europe, and their sharp focus on service and cutting-edge solutions."

James Kelly, Chief Executive Officer of EVO, said, "We are very excited to be partnering with a market leader and look forward to providing the Bank of Ireland customers with unmatched solutions, particularly in integrated payments via our EVO Snap platform. We have assembled a global team of seasoned professionals from our established European and North American business units to work with the Bank on launching our products to the market. The Bank's significant market presence combined with EVO's powerful payment solutions will allow us to offer differentiated services across a broad spectrum of vertical markets."