Misys' Global Processing service is aimed at banks wishing to reduce messaging costs by standardising on a single, central system worldwide, maintaining local procedures but eliminating duplication and establishing best working practices on a global scale.

Phil Cantor, head of global processing, Misys Wholesale Banking Systems, says: "All the banks we speak to want to manage their costs more effectively. Obvious cost-cutting measures, such as managing cost sign-offs and trimming staff numbers, have usually been done. That leaves global standardisation as a compelling next step."

MidasPlus Global Processing is being adopted by Bank of India and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and will be delivered to both during 2003. Misys says it has signed a third customer, an as-yet unnamed US bank. The service will be available on general release in the summer.

Cantor says that Misys has also put together a new consulting service to help banks understand the benefits they can expect from centralising their operations into a global hub. The benefits calculator is based on market research that Misys commissioned on industry best practice in this arena.

Next year, the vendor intends to release a global processing version of its stand-alone Trade Innovation solution. It is also undergoing a core technology transformation to enable all of its solutions to be platform independent. Currently, MidasPlus Global Processing, for example, runs on iSeries IBM servers. There is sometimes a bias against particular platforms at a head office level, where Misys is targeting its sales efforts for its global processing vision. So within three years it says all its solutions will be repackaged to run natively in J2EE, .NET and Linux environments.