/R E P E A T -- CGI and Aktia announce strategic business and IT partnership/

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Oct 11, 2022, 06:30 ET

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CGI will help Aktia drive operational efficiencies and accelerate product and service development through digitization and IT managed services

HELSINKI, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ - CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) and Aktia (OMXH: AKTIA) have entered into a strategic partnership giving CGI responsibility for a major part of Aktia's banking IT services, including the development and maintenance of 150 mission-critical applications. The partnership, valued at approximately 50 MEUR (approx. 75 MCAD), will enable Aktia to enhance operation and development of existing banking products and services, as well as accelerate the development of new products and services, to improve the customer experience and compete more effectively in today's fast-changing finance sector.

"Aktia is committed to long-term product and service development as we execute our strategy in becoming the leading wealth manager bank and compete against other Finnish and Nordic banks, along with new players in the banking industry, and seek to better serve our customers," said Sari Leppänen, the bank's Chief Information Officer. "We have invested in modernizing our core banking systems, and we are continuously improving them to drive operational efficiencies and meet evolving customer expectations. CGI will help us to streamline our IT operations, deliver innovative banking services, and ensure the scalability of those services in response to new business demands. Our partnership with CGI also will provide the critical IT talent we need, as well as strengthen our regulatory compliance and risk management."

"We are grateful for Aktia's trust in our capabilities to help drive its performance and growth through strategic IT managed services," said Leena-Mari Lähteenmaa, President of CGI's Finland, Poland and Baltics operations. "Our teams provide the banking and IT expertise required to modernize business models and operations through digitization, enabling clients like Aktia to excel not only in today's competitive business environment but also in the future. We also offer local support, backed by a global network of experts, to ensure high responsiveness, around-the-clock support, and ongoing scalability as business objectives and requirements change."

"We extend a warm welcome to the over 50 Aktia banking services experts who will join us as a result of this strategic partnership," said Kimmo Koivisto, who leads CGI's financial services business unit in Finland. "Together, we are stronger, and our professionals enjoy many exciting career opportunities as we continue to grow."

The partnership will begin as a joint venture before the start of 2023.

As digitization continues to transform the banking world, CGI helps banks move to new business models, modernize legacy IT environments, and become more customer centric. Today, the company partners with 15 of the top 20 banks worldwide, as well as thousands of other financial institutions across the globe, delivering business and strategic IT consulting services, along with a broad portfolio of banking solutions. To learn more, visit cgi.com/banking.

About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is among the largest independent IT and business consulting services firms in the world. With 88,500 consultants and professionals across the globe, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of capabilities, from strategic IT and business consulting to systems integration, managed IT and business process services and intellectual property solutions. CGI works with clients through a local relationship model complemented by a global delivery network that helps clients digitally transform their organizations and accelerate results. CGI Fiscal 2021 reported revenue is C$12.13 billion and CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Learn more at cgi.com.

About Aktia
Aktia is a Finnish asset manager, bank and life insurer that has been creating wealth and wellbeing from one generation to the next for 200 years. We serve our customers in digital channels everywhere and face-to-face in our offices in the Helsinki, Turku, Tampere, Vaasa and Oulu regions. Our award-winning asset management business sells investment funds internationally. We employ approximately 900 people around Finland. Aktia's assets under management (AuM) on 30 June 2022 amounted to EUR 13.9 billion, and the balance sheet total was EUR 11.9 billion. Aktia's shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki Ltd (AKTIA). aktia.com.

SOURCE CGI Inc.