LONDON, July 30, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- VocaLink, the international specialist payments partner, has announced it is providing Metro Bank, the first new full service high street bank to enter the UK market in over one hundred years, with a one stop shop solution for all its payment needs. Metro Bank has outsourced the management of its ATM estate, domestic and international payments and debit card processing to VocaLink. Metro Bank opened its first branch on 29 July 2010 in London.

The VocaLink Service Bureau will provide Metro Bank with the fastest Straight-Through-Processing rates, as well as access to a comprehensive range of connectivity services, including SWIFT. The solution supports connectivity between Metro Bank, its customers and other clearing services that Metro Bank will participate in. By meeting all connectivity requirements through the VocaLink Service Bureau, Metro Bank will be able to boost productivity and minimise costs.

By selecting VocaLink's ATM Managed Service, Metro Bank will minimise overhead costs and maximise the revenue potential of its ATM estate. The service covers everything from staging, connectivity and installation to 24 hour network, device monitoring and maintenance. VocaLink's card issuing capability includes support for Metro Bank's debit card instant issuance proposition creating a market leading proposition in the UK.

Craig Donaldson, CEO of Metro Bank, comments: "As we enter the market with the UK's first new high street retail bank in over one hundred years, it is reassuring to know that we can rely on VocaLink for providing all of our payment needs. With over 40 years' heritage in electronic payments, VocaLink's smart solutions will form the lynchpin of our plans to revolutionise the UK retail banking market. Their card issuing service will allow us to to give our new customers a debit card within 15 minutes of entering our branches providing our customers the best possible service."

David Conkleton, Managing Director Card Services at VocaLink, said: "We are delighted to be working with Metro Bank whose arrival represents a landmark moment in the UK retail banking industry. With our success in the payments arena over the last four decades Metro Bank can be confident of providing a first class service to its clients, supported by VocaLink's ATM Managed Service and Service Bureau,"

Metro Bank plans to open a further twelve stores over the coming two years and aims to have a branch network of more than 200 stores within a decade.

About Metro Bank

Metro Bank PLC is registered at One Southampton Row, Holborn, London and is regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Metro Bank was co-founded by Vernon Hill and Anthony Thomson. It is based on the successful Commerce Bank model that was established by Vernon Hill in the US in 1973. A UK management team has worked with Vernon Hill to help bring this model to the UK market.

Metro Bank will operate retail hours, not banking hours. It will be open 7 days a week (8am- 8pm Monday to Friday, 8am- 6pm Saturday, 11am- 4pm Sunday), every day of the year apart from Good Friday, Easter Sunday, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

Metro Bank PLC. Registered in England and Wales. Company number: 6419578. Registered office: One Southampton Row, London, WC1B 5HA.

Metro Bank PLC is an independent UK Bank. Metro Bank PLC is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Metro Bank PLC is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme established under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000.

About VocaLink

VocaLink is a specialist payments partner to banks, their corporate customers and government departments. We design and deliver smarter domestic and international automated payments systems, and smarter ATM switching solutions.

In fact, our switching platform connects over 60,000 ATMs, the world's busiest network, while our payments platform processes over 500 million payments per month.

Having pioneered electronic payments for over 40 years it's perhaps no surprise that many major organisations have come to rely on our services. For example, our Real-time Payments Platform is the central infrastructure for the UK's Faster Payments Service, whilst we've partnered with BGC, Sweden's leading payments provider, who now outsource the majority of Sweden's domestic payments to us. We are very proud of our service delivery record. Our platforms operate on never-fail technology to ensure total reliability and availability 24 hours a day allowing us to meet our customer needs.

In short, our smarter payments capabilities offer banks, corporates and government departments reach throughout SEPA and beyond.

    VocaLink. Safer payments, smarter partner.

    Contacts
    For further information please contact:
    Deborah Souter, VocaLink
    +44(0)870-920-8651 or deborah.souter@vocalink.com

    Nicole Eisele, Hotwire
    +44(0)20-7608-4696 or vocalinkuk@hotwirepr.com

SOURCE VocaLink

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