al khaliji Qatar implements message master(R) xsp for mobile banking and SMS/MMS marketing

• Multi-lingual SMS services brings mobile banking to widest market

Potsdam, Germany, 27 January, 2009: Derdack, provider of mobile messaging platforms and notification workflow software today announced that al khaliji, a next generation bank based in Qatar, is live on message master(R) xsp. Derdack’s mobile messaging platform has become an integral part of a dynamic and reliable technology base that will support the bank’s strategic business objectives.

“message master(R) xsp met our current and future business requirements better than any other system.  We were impressed with its flexibility, ease of use and range of messaging functionality.  It has proved to be a reliable and stable system that is easy to configure and maintain,” said Ahmad Kandeel, Principal, Information and Communication Technology, al khaliji.

The Qatar Central Bank requires all retail banks to provide SMS confirmations and advices whenever a banking transaction or event takes place.  By confirming each element of account activity suspicious transactions can be immediately queried thus minimising the risk of fraud.

message master(R) xsp integrates with al khaliji’s core banking and call centre systems.  It acts as a gateway to the mobile operators and manages the bank’s SMS communications.  Customers define a language preference and al khaliji uniquely provides SMS confirmations in English, Arabic, Farsi, Urdu and French thus bringing these services to the widest possible market.

al khaliji also use message master(R) xsp to provide ‘push and pull’ bulk SMS services.  When promoting new products or communicating a fraud alert, the bank can ‘push’ an SMS out to every customer.  Customers can also ‘pull’ information such as an account balance query into their mobile devices by sending an SMS request to the bank.  The bank can also use multi-media messages (MMS) within campaigns to provide rich content such as pictures, video and audio files.

The bank uses the highest levels of encryption to ensure its SMS communications are completely secure.  This allows the bank to issue critical information such as activation codes for ATM cards by SMS.  It eliminates the traditional printed confirmation that other banks send by post.  It is faster and less prone to fraud, features that have been welcomed by customers. 

message master(R) xsp will be rolled out to other countries as the bank expands.  Kandeel concludes, “We rely on message master(R) xsp as a mobile gateway and for bulk marketing campaigns and I would recommend it to any company looking for a mobile messaging platform.  We value Derdack as a true partner with a respected professional services team that can deliver on its promises and I look forward to a long term working relationship.”

Matthes Derdack, Managing Director of Derdack commented, “al khaliji is a genuine next generation bank that has architected its processes and exploited the power of mobile messaging to meet the needs of 21st century customers.”