SIMTEL Selects ACI Worldwide to Build New Rwandan Card Payments Network

SIMTEL, an organisation set up by the Rwandan government to modernise the national payments network, has chosen ACIs BASE24-es as the foundation for The Republic of Rwandas new national inter-bank card payments network. SIMTEL is also implementing the ACI Card Management SystemTM for the management of card accounts and personalisation. ACI software will provide a flexible framework for card transactions and promote the use of cards to Rwandas unbanked population. BASE24-es and the ACI Card Management System will be implemented on an IBM AIX platform at the SIMTEL offices in Kigali, Rwandas capital city. ACI will be aided in implementation and post implementation support by Symphony, a Nairobi based IT group. Once BASE24-es and the ACI Card Management System are implemented, the next phase for SIMTEL is to add advanced transaction functionality to its ATM network to enable Rwandan consumers to pay utility bills at ATMs. ACI will authorise and route the bill payment transactions through BASE24-es. Banking customers will benefit from an improved customer experience and result in more effective channel utilisation for SIMTEL. BASE24-es will enable SIMTEL to acquire, authenticate, route, switch and authorise card transactions on behalf of the commercial banks in Rwanda. BASE24-es is powered by an intelligent scripting engine that enables users to change the rules governing authentication and authorisation without having to write new source code. The result is a flexible solution with the fault-tolerance and reliability for which ACI software is known. Rwandas new BASE24-es infrastructure, integrated with the ACI Card Management System, will initially support the issue of Visa Smart Debit and Credit (VSDC) cards. A further phase will enable SIMTEL to issue and manage pre-authorised debit cards1, compliant with Visa Horizon and VSDC standards. Pre-authorised debit will allow SIMTEL to offer card services to people without an established credit history where online authorisation is not always possible.