SIA has won Bank of Italy’s tender for the management of the Interbank Register of Bad Cheques and Payment Cards (Centrale di Allarme Interbancaria - CAI), the computerized archive of illicit bank and postal cheques and credit and debit cards that contributes to ensuring the smooth running of the national payments system. The concession will last 8 years.
SIA will manage the CAI central infrastructure, owned by the Bank of Italy, as well as the interconnections with remote sections (local archives) at reporting institutions (banks, supervised card-issuing financial intermediaries, Poste Italiane, prefectures through the Ministry of the Interior, and judicial authorities through the Ministry of Justice).
Furthermore, the development of new applicative functions and the use of infrastructural components, including SIA’s innovative “Active-Active” technology architecture, is provided for to guarantee 24/7 continuity in the provision of services.
Bank of Italy’s Interbank Register of Bad Checks and Payment Cards was established by law following the depenalization of a series of minor offences including the issuing of cheques without authorization or without funds.
The Register contains the personal details of the individuals who have issued bank and postal checks without authorization or without having the necessary funds as well as the personal details of the individuals whose authorization to use debit and credit cards has been revoked due to the non-payment of sums relating to transactions or withdrawals made by card.
The Interbank Register of Bad Checks and Payment Cards also includes information on administrative and penal sanctions applied by the prefects and the judicial authorities respectively for the issuing of bank and postal cheques without authorization or without the necessary funds. Furthermore, the Register contains the data in anonymous form identifying the bank and postal cheques and “high-risk” payment cards (for example, those stolen, lost or blocked for other reasons).