Deutsche's new platform will be based on SAP for Banking, comprising of partner data, payments, account management and savings applications.

The bank is looking to increase industrialisation and standardisation of processes while improving flexibility in its IT infrastructure, building on modular SAP software functions within a service-oriented architecture (SOA).

The firms say this should boost efficiency and profitability as well as accelerate time to market in rolling out new products and services to the bank's clients.

Hermann-Josef Lamberti, COO, Deutsche Bank, says: "IT is a business driver and catalyst. It ought to be flexible, cost-efficient and scalable in order to support business growth. We are looking forward to shaping the industry and setting new standards to manage processes and services even more consistently and efficiently with a new core banking system"

SAP today reported a 12% fall in net income, to EUR727 million, for the fourth quarter but predicted a return to growth in 2010.