Qatar's highest ranked bank, Qatar National Bank (QNB), today announced the successful migration of its cards portfolio to PRIME 3, the latest version of TSYS Card Tech's leading card- and merchant-management system.
TSYS Card Tech worked alongside QNB's project team to ensure the smooth deployment of the new system, which involved the conversion of data from 81,000 card accounts, 32,000 customers and 2,300 merchants.
"As the largest bank in Qatar, it is important for business continuity that this significant upgrade of our card systems proceeded without incident, on time and in an entirely seamless manner," says Ali Ahmed Al Kuwari, general manager of technology and operations at QNB. "TSYS Card Tech's support during this transition was first class, and we are now in position to offer our clients new product offerings backed by the security of an open, flexible platform."
QNB chose PRIME 3 which is a newer version of the PRIME1 system it currently runs. Its open architecture enables easy integration with existing bank and third party interfaces, and its use of a new database platform, Oracle, offers enhanced multi-institution, workflow and case-management features. This combination, with full support for EMV chip-card programs and web-services, provide significant improvements and make it an attractive upgrade for QNB.
"We are delighted to assist QNB upgrade to PRIME 3. Our product development is specifically focused on meeting the needs of our clients and enabling them to take advantage of future market opportunities quickly and effectively," says Edith Kessler-Charalambous, general manager of business expansion for TSYS Card Tech. "We are confident that PRIME 3 will satisfy and exceed all expectations."
Separately Commercial Bank of Qatar (CBQ), one of the leading banks in Qatar, has announced the issuance of its first EMV chip card on TSYS Card Tech's card-management solution, PRIME.
This follows the bank's successful certification with MasterCard and Visa for M/Chip and Visa Smart Debit Credit (VSDC) card issuing.
The launch of the CBQ MasterCard Payroll chip card is the first in an extensive suite of Visa and MasterCard EMV cards to be issued. A multitude of EMV chip card products — including credit, debit, charge and prepaid cards — are to be released in a phased rollout throughout the year.
"We continue to invest heavily in technology, and the in-house issuance of EMV chip cards is a reflection of our bank's strategy to continue to provide our customers with value-added products and services. By deploying EMV-compliant technology and leveraging on the increased security measures associated with EMV, we are in a better position to protect our card holders against card fraud and also ensure that we maintain our strong competitive edge in customer service," said Manu Joseph, assistant general manager and head of cards for CBQ. "TSYS Card Tech's PRIME solution continues to provide our bank with extensive functionality, in addition to flexibility and reliability."
"TSYS Card Tech has a long-standing relationship with CBQ dating back to 1992," said Edith Kessler-Charalambous, general manager of business expansion for TSYS Card Tech. "Our successful track record, including this latest achievement, largely is due to both the strength of our systems and the great co-operation and team effort between the Bank and TSYS Card Tech."