US financial IT firm Fiserv has waded into the battle to take over UK banking systems vendor Misys.
Highly-aquisitive Fiserv is conducting due diligence on Misys and has approached JP Morgan Cazenove, the bank advising Misys's independent directors, to express its interest.
The move, which was first reported by UK broadsheet the Sunday Times, comes a month after Misys agreed to open its books to bidders following an approach from a number of parties for the business.
The UK vendor was effectively put up for sale last month when members of its senior management led by chief executive Kevin Lomax put forward a possible management buyout proposal.
Other interested parties are thought to include private equity companies Permira and General Atlantic, former management and market rivals such as SunGard.
Last month three former directors of Misys - Ross Graham, John Sussens and Mike O'Leary - proposed a "management walk-in" and said they are seeking to take control of the company in a bid to prevent shareholders selling the business on the cheap.
Fiserv is the fifth party to express an interest in the business. With its current market value of £4.06bn, Nasdaq-listed Fiserv is worth nearly four times as much as Misys.