BBS has completed pilot testing of Sterling Commerce's Web-based Connect:Enterprise software solution with 700 of its smaller trading partners. During this pilot phase, BBS used the solution as a trading platform for developing new payment services and establishing new channels into their smaller partners.

Over the next two years, BBS and Sterling Commerce plan to extend this platform to include several thousand partners.

Jan Erik Nordheim, senior vice president, information technology division of BBS says: "The Connect:Enterprise solution allows us to utilise the Internet to reach new customers, including SMEs and consumers...The Enterprise solution has allowed us to offer value-added services to our current customers, provide round-the-clock support and services, and expand our transaction processing capabilities."

According to analysts Datamonitor, IT integration spending in the financial sector is set to rocket from EUR885 million in 2000 to EUR1.35 billion in 2004 across the Emea region.