The partnership boosts service delivery to existing and new clients and sharpens GFG Group's competitiveness in key emerging markets.

Australia-headquartered Attra specialises in providing independent software testing, application management, portfolio migration, integration and consulting services to clients in the banking, finance and payments industry. Its clients include multinational banks, financial institutions and card processors in 19 countries across five continents.

GFG Group's partnership with Attra spans solution implementation and support for both new and existing clients. It delivers economies of scale, opens up new markets for both companies and enables GFG Group to deliver its solutions more cost-effectively, says Wayne Robinson, GFG Group's Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales.

"Attra will provide complementary services to the GFG Group suite of payment solutions and products - particularly our Cadencie card payment solution, but also our Simfonie mobile payment solution, and payment and testing tools - FINsim, Gateway, PINselect and Secure Mailer," he says.

"Attra really understands the payments industry and has significant experience in the banking and finance industry. Attra's payments knowledge, application management, testing and implementation services and skills combine very well with GFG Group's deep expertise in the payments industry. This is enabling an enhanced range of services and support for GFG Group clients," says Robinson.

Attra staff members are already working onsite with GFG Group clients such as Members Equity Bank (ME Bank) in Australia, which uses GFG Group's Cadencie card management solution. Attra has provided an onsite User testing/Acceptance resource, fully trained and certified by GFG Group in Cadencie.

"The delivery of ME Bank's card platform has been assisted for many years through a strong working relationship with GFG Group and more recently Attrattra, who has provided additional specialised credit card knowledge and services," says ME Bank's Chief Information Officer, Kath Hawkins.

"Attra's partnership with GFG has benefitted all parties and has provided a greater depth of experience to GFG's card platform for ME Bank," Hawkins says.

"ME Bank has been pleased to work with GFG as a vendor and Attra as a trusted partner in its card solution delivery."

GFG Group is working with Attra's global head in India to investigate opportunities in emerging markets, where demand for high-quality but more affordable payment solutions is growing. Key target regions will be emerging markets in Southeast Asia (including Myanmar and Vietnam), the Middle East and Africa. GFG Group and Attra will combine forces to offer payment solutions and services at a keener price-point than would otherwise be possible.

In many emerging markets, services and solutions at a New Zealand price-point are prohibitively expensive, Wayne Robinson says.

"Our partnership with Attra provides a low-cost, off-shore alternative. Where it makes sense we can off-shore to India rather than hiring additional staff in New Zealand. This model also works for clients in developed markets, as in the case of ME Bank. Usually, to meet compliance and regulation testing requirements the client needs to provide people to GFG Group for training, or have GFG Group provide trained staff. Now, fully trained Attra staff can fill this requirement, working either onsite or remotely. Demand from banks and financial institutions for compliance testing is increasing. The opportunity is there for them to use a trained and certified Attra resource to do this. This frees clients up to focus on business development."

The Head of Attra's Australian division, Rajat Agrawal, says the partnership is significant and a win for both companies.

"The united go-to-market strategy will enable both partners to provide robust and innovative cards and payments solutions to many more customers," Agrawal says.