This is significant to the US market as it brings, for the first time, real-time, secure and simple financial solutions to banking institutions and their customers that have not been possible by other forms of alternative payments.

"We see the U.S. Market as the cornerstone of our future growth and development," said Alex Grinberg, CEO, eWise. "eWise is designed to offer banks an entirely new revenue stream, where there has previously only been costs. This results in increased loyalty from their customers, who now have a fast and easy way to make secure payments and manage their online transactions right from their bank account."

eWise, along with NACHA - The Electronic Payments Association®, have developed Secure Vault Payments, a safe, secure and private online payment network. In preparation of the commercial release, eWise secured major venture capital funding to help support the rollout of Secure Vault Payments and expanded the leadership team to include the roles of Senior Vice President of Sales and Network Development, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Senior Vice President of Product and Strategy. In turn, these senior leaders have continued to grow their staffs to support the growth and development of the network.

Since the commercial release of Secure Vault Payments late third quarter in 2010, the network has enjoyed successful momentum with regular announcements of new members to the network, most notably the announcement in November of US Bank's participation and strong support.

In the short time since joining the network, US Bank has announced several agreements including FamilySearch International. "Launching Secure Vault Payments allows U.S. Bank to give our business customers a cost-effective, low risk option to accept online payments while also offering our consumer banking customers one of the safest ways to pay online," said Jeff Jones, executive vice president for treasury management at U.S. Bank. "It's a win-win for everyone in the payment chain."

To capitalize on the growing support and expertise of current and soon to be announced participants, eWise, with NACHA's support, announced the creation of the Secure Vault Payments Marketing Advisory Council. "Secure Vault Payments continues to grow in its size and penetration," said Jan Estep, president and CEO, NACHA. "As participation expands, user experiences will be critical to informing future needs. The expertise the council members bring to the table will help guide market development for Secure Vault Payments."

eWise will join US Bank and FamilySearch International representatives in the panel discussion "A Case Study: Secure Vault Payments" at the NACHA's 2011 Payments Conference in Austin, Texas, April 4 at 1:30 p.m. CDT.