Unisys takes over Dutch banks' paper payments

Unisys has won a $110m deal to take over the paper-based operations of Holland's largest cheque-clearer.

The company will take over the document-services division of top Dutch payments processor Interpay, along with its premises and 130 staff, on a five-year contract. And Unisys plans to move into the market in the rest of the continent.

Ben Haasdijk, Interpay CEO, said in a statement: "The volume of document processing in the Netherlands is decreasing. This agreement will enable Interpay to focus more on its core activities."

Interpay currently processes 110 million cheques a year in the Netherlands. It is the major electronic processor in the country and handles credit cards, PIN passes and other specific-to-the Netherlands electronic payments.

A Unisys spokesman said: "The initial agreement is with Interpay, seven major Dutch banks and some other smaller financial companies. We are in discussions with other organisations and will expand into Benelux and further into the continent."

Unisys currently handles more than 70 per cent of the cheques in the UK, which number about 13 million a day, and is the largest cheque processor in Australia.

The Unisys spokesman said: "We aim to grow the operation and achieve economies of scale. The more financial services organisations we bring in, the cheaper it becomes. In the UK we have achieved a 20 per cent cost reduction for our customers."