CGI (NYSE: GIB) (TSX: GIB.A) is pleased to announce its new collaboration with Cash Netting Services (CNS), to deliver a solution to help banks significantly reduce daily interbank payment flows and associated liquidity and capital management obligations.
CNS addresses interbank payment and liquidity inefficiencies by identifying payments netting opportunities between banks. CNS analyses high value payments data from participating banks and, at agreed times, calculates and publishes net cash positions per currency between pairs of banks (providing details of ALL payments included in the net calculation) using technology and infrastructure delivered by CGI. Net payment obligations are determined by bilateral netting agreement (by currency) between pairs of participating banks. In accordance with the terms of these agreements, participating banks receive payment messages in SWIFT format to facilitate net payments.
CGI will provide CNS with use of its intellectual property for the purposes of netting interbank cash flows. In many cases, CGI software is already in place in prospective banks, thus reducing the changes to existing payment and settlement processes to achieve the benefits of efficient interbank, intraday payments netting.
It is estimated that some US$10 trillion a day is paid, gross, between banks – after other asset specific netting (e.g. FX through CLS) and payments compression (e.g. CHIPS). The largest banks in each currency represent 15% to 45% of total payments volumes. To support these huge flows, over US$1trillion of cash is required to be held in bank payment systems, with a corresponding impact on intraday liquidity efficiency.
John Barber, Director, Cash Netting Services said: “The real cost to banks of supporting high value global payments, and opportunity cost of having cash tied up to support mandated liquidity coverage ratios, is US$10s of billions a year. We are delighted to be collaborating with CGI, a leader in this field, to develop a ‘best of breed’ high value payments netting service that can reduce daily interbank payments volumes by 90+% and enhance intraday cash liquidity”.
Jerry Norton, Head of Financial Services Strategy, CGI said: “The Cash Netting Services initiative complements existing CGI payments and netting infrastructure, software and connectivity services implemented within the world’s largest banks. This is a market innovation which offers the potential for effective wholesale interbank payments netting. We are excited to work with Cash Netting Services to deliver an efficient and effective solution to our major bank clients.”
CGI has been at the forefront of the payments industry since the 1970s and is acknowledged as one of the leading providers of payments and netting infrastructures and services supporting major central bank systems, payment market infrastructures and many of the world’s largest retail and transaction banks.
About Cash Netting Services
Cash Netting Services was launched by financial technology professionals and business entrepreneurs, John Barber and Nick Dyne. John Barber held senior positions in Dow Jones Telerate (MD EMEA) and ICAP (now Nex Group) before joining Nick at Logicscope. Nick Dyne has a long history of delivering innovative financial technology solutions, from real time data servers to sophisticated ‘straight through’ trade messaging for FX transactions. Previously, Barber and Dyne built a highly successful, multi-participant FX STP network – Logicscope – acquired subsequently by global transaction processing specialist I H S Markit. Website: www.cashnettingservices.com.
About CGI
Founded in 1976, CGI is the fifth largest independent IT and business consulting services firm in the world. With approximately 72,500 professionals worldwide, CGI delivers an end-to-end portfolio of high-end IT and business consulting services, systems integration and IT and business process outsourcing services. CGI's client proximity model, best-fit global delivery network, and intellectual property solutions help clients accelerate results and digitally transform their organizations. With annual revenue of C$10.8 billion, CGI shares are listed on the TSX (GIB.A) and the NYSE (GIB). Website: www.cgi.com.
For more information:
Local Media
Jenny McGowan
UK External Communications
jenny.mcgowan@cgi.com
+44 (0)7771 815428
