Finnish financial services group Sampo has teamed up with Nokia, Accenture and venture capitalist 3i to create a new company, Meridea, to sell mobile and e-banking software applications to third party banks.
Sampo says the new company will produce and market "new generation software" for the banking and financial industries. Esa Tihilä, the former head of ICL's global e-business operations, has been appointed chief executive officer.
Key personnel as well as technology will be transferred to Meridea from the founding companies. Approximately 30 employees from Sampo will transfer to the new company.
Meridea's first customer is Sampo, which has concluded an agreement for the delivery of financial software during 2002-2003.