Standard Bank and SAP Bring Mobile Banking to Over Half a Million "Flip-Phone" Customers in South Africa via SAP® Mobile Platform

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, Feb. 14, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- SAP AG (NYSE:SAP) today announced that Standard Bank has been successful in introducing its new AccessBanking offering in South Africa, aimed at meeting the banking needs of the previously "unbanked." This includes the AccessAccount, a transactional banking account based on SAP® Mobile Platform. SAP Mobile Platform integrates SAP and third-party back-end systems, which allows users to create visually rich mobile apps to extend the information from enterprise systems straight onto mobile devices. Since its inception in March 2012, the model has attracted more than 550,000 new customers onto the AccessAccount.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110126/AQ34470LOGO)

According to research, 22 million South Africans earn less than ZAR 3,000 a month and of that figure, 66 percent do not have bank accounts. With the app, sales agents — or AccessAgents — can sign-up via a portable mobile device and open a bank account for customers within a few minutes. This allows Standard Bank to bring services to communities in areas that have been traditionally underserved, such as townships and rural areas. The platform additionally supports multiple devices and has a strong security management component so that sensitive information, applications and devices are secure. Once customers have the AccessAccount, they are able to perform transactions such as person-to-person transfers and purchasing of electricity and airtime through their mobile phones at any time. Customers can also perform transactions such as cash-in, cash-out and money transfers at Standard Bank AccessPoints, which operate through partnerships with informal traders already running businesses in their communities. This removes the need for customers to travel to branches or ATMs to bank.

"This is a very exciting time for us at Standard Bank. We have built an entirely new IT system and platform that spans across all the bank's offerings in our 'Inclusive Banking' business," said Peter Wharton Hood, deputy chief executive, Standard Bank Group. "Mobile origination is not only far more accessible for customers, it is also 80 percent cheaper. Standard Bank is one of the first major banks in the world to run SAP Mobile Platform.This tremendous competitive advantage has significantly helped us grow our customer base. We are currently opening up to 7,000 new accounts a day via SMS technology, in less than six minutes per transaction. This incredible outcome far exceeded our expectations. "

"This innovative banking project is radically affecting the lives of thousands people for the better," said Pfungwa Serima, CEO, SAP Africa. "This is a truly innovative project that underpins SAP's vision to make the world run better and improve people's lives. We look forward to seeing the continued success of the implementation across the continent."

Standard Bank South Africa has been shortlisted for the Global Mobile Awards 2013, for the category "Best Product, Initiative or Service in Emerging Markets." For more information, visit www.globalmobileawards.com/nominees-2013/.

To learn more about Standard Bank's initiative, watch the SAP TV video: "Banking the Unbanked." For more information, visit the SAP Newsroom.

About SAP
As market leader in enterprise application software, SAP (NYSE: SAP) helps companies of all sizes and industries run better. From back office to boardroom, warehouse to storefront, desktop to mobile device – SAP empowers people and organizations to work together more efficiently and use business insight more effectively to stay ahead of the competition. SAP applications and services enable more than 232,000 customers to operate profitably, adapt continuously, and grow sustainably. For more information, visit www.sap.com.

Any statements contained in this document that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements as defined in the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as "anticipate," "believe," "estimate," "expect," "forecast," "intend," "may," "plan," "project," "predict," "should" and "will" and similar expressions as they relate to SAP are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. SAP undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from expectations. The factors that could affect SAP's future financial results are discussed more fully in SAP's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including SAP's most recent Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of their dates.

© 2013 SAP AG. All rights reserved.
SAP and other SAP products and services mentioned herein as well as their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and other countries. Please see http://www.sap.com/corporate-en/legal/copyright/index.epx#trademark for additional trademark information and notices.

Note to editors:
To preview and download broadcast-standard stock footage and press photos digitally, please visit www.sap.com/photos. On this platform, you can find high resolution material for your media channels. To view video stories on diverse topics, visit www.sap-tv.com. From this site, you can embed videos into your own Web pages, share video via email links, and subscribe to RSS feeds from SAP TV.

Follow SAP on Twitter at @sapnews.

For customers interested in learning more about SAP products:
Global Customer Center: +49 180 534-34-24
United States Only: 1 (800) 872-1SAP (1-800-872-1727)

For more information, press only:
Amisha Gandhi, +1 (415) 341-7101, [email protected], PDT
Antonia Ashton, SAP Africa, +27 11 235 6000, [email protected], GMT+2
SAP Press Office, +49 (6227) 7-46315, CET; +1 (610) 661-3200, EST; [email protected]
Keshia Govindsamy, Ogilvy Public Relations, +27 11 709 9639. [email protected], GMT+2

SOURCE SAP AG

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED