The flexible new offering enables cardholders to undertake complex interactions 24/7 from web-enabled ATM or self-service kiosks based in convenient locations.  In addition, these services can be accessed from work or home via their bank's online site.

This dynamic service has been brought to market in conjunction with ATM vendor Wincor Nixdorf, whose new generation of hardware and terminal software radically expands the variety of services possible at the terminals.

Commenting on the new offering, Tom Hay, Chief Technology Officer at NOMAD Software stated: "Web-enabled ATMs and self-service kiosks represent the meeting of new high-functionality self-service terminals with Internet software technology.  They deliver a superior user experience by using the graphical capabilities of web pages to display colours, images and animations.  Highly interactive and information-rich services can be offered, particularly on kiosks equipped with full keyboards."

He added: "For banks adopting a self-service banking strategy, different terminals within an ATM estate can be tailored according to the type of terminal and its location.  For example, ATMs on busy high streets can be customised to operate as traditional cash-only ATMs to keep queues to a minimum. Whilst fully functional lobby machines may be configured to accept cash deposits and produce mini-statements, supplemented by non-cash information terminals which can manage comprehensive bill payments and money transfers."

Banks implementing this approach within their branch and terminal network can expect the following benefits:

• Reduced Costs and Increased Revenue Opportunities
  By increasing the number of services available at the self-service terminals, banks are able to reduce the number of counter staff required to serve customers within branches, re-deploying them on revenue generating activities such as cross-selling.
  
  Since much of the cash and cheque management can now be carried out at the ATM, significantly less cash is required behind the branch counter, thereby reducing the necessity for costly security infrastructure within the branch. Further savings are realised by the cash re-cycling capability of these new ATMs, which significantly reduces the requirement for manual cash loading of individual machines, and the float required.
  
  
• One to One Marketing
  Web-enabled terminals and self service kiosks are highly suitable for delivering targeted marketing messages, with the possibility of instant feedback from the customer.  By linking the terminal driver through to the CRM system, true 'one-to-one' marketing is possible, whether that be for the banks own products or on behalf of a third party for example advertising local theatrical or sports events.
  
  
• Brand Reinforcement
  Banks are able to maximise the investment already made in online bank services by extending their availability into bank branches and at remote terminals, using the same HTML screens already developed for internet banking.  These templates can rapidly be rolled out across all web-enabled terminal screens, ensuring the consistency of the banks image across all channels.

Self-service banking terminals open up a wide range of new services to customers, which historically would have been fulfilled by physically visiting the bank branch.  In addition to those services taken for granted at a traditional ATM, additional benefits for the end user include:

• Capability to view balances of all linked accounts - be they multiple type or even multiple currency providing customers with a full financial picture
• Full statement printing for all accounts
• Transfer of funds to other account holders in the same bank
• Transfer of funds to account holders in other banks e.g. P2P payments, bill payments etc
• Cash deposit (via buch note acceptor) with instant credit to customer account
• Direct customer communications

John Yeomans, Chief Executive, NOMAD Software commented: "The last decade has seen a significant change in consumer expectations of the range of services offered at ATMs. Historically, the ATM has simply been used for withdrawing cash.  Our NOMAD CORTEX offering links years of experience with traditional ATM systems to cutting-edge Java technology to provide some of the most advanced self-service banking solutions on the market today."

The NOMAD CORTEX architecture comprises a web application server, enabling the web-enabled ATM or self-service kiosk to call services residing on NOMAD CORTEX.  Those services can be written either by NOMAD Software, by the bank, or by a 3rd party.  In addition, it can act as a secure gateway into the wider network of services that the bank may want to make available to the cardholder.  The solutions are modular such that support for EMV, cash deposit (bunch note acceptance) etc. is made possible by simply adding additional software components.

The new generation of terminal software, such as Wincor's ProTopas, means a single architecture can support a wide range of terminal types, such as web-ATMs and Kiosks.  The software uses open system components which makes it platform independent i.e. it can run on any manufacturer's hardware. This saves costs by simplifying software deployment and operation, as well as offering a consistent user experience across the entire ATM fleet.