Insights

TAS Remote Teller allows bank customers to carry out all the operations traditionally carried out in the branch with the teller and get in touch with a remote bank operator to enhance the bank-customer relationship thanks to technology.

An automated counter where you can carry out banking operations and speak remotely with an operator. It is TAS Remote Teller, a solution at the centre of a pilot project within one of the major Italian banking groups. The goal is to offer an automated branch, which allows you to supervise even remote areas, reducing costs significantly compared to a traditional branch. «Without however renouncing the quality of the service, the possibility of cross-selling and generating empathy and trust in the banking customer - says Valentino Bravi, CEO of TAS. By reducing branches to save costs, there is the risk of losing quality, because the branch is increasingly distant from the customer. At the moment this solution is being tested at some pilot branches of one of the major Italian banking groups and the extension of this model to other branches is also planned».

The customer talks to the operator via video

With a view to a hybrid evolution of bank branch models, the Remote Teller adapts to unattended branches: simple sitting rooms are enough to ensure privacy and comfort for the customer, characterized by the bank's brand identity, of course. But it also finds a place in already manned branches, to streamline traditional operations and allocate the offices to other consultancy or value-added activities. «The customer who enters the branch authenticates himself with his payment card at the counter – explains Bravi. In front of him he will therefore find a maxi screen, or even more than one, where he can get in touch with a remotely connected teller, who will follow him in all the traditional operations that are carried out at the bank teller, through simple steps and a video monitoring». The TAS Remote Teller solution offers a very wide range of accessible services, covering more than 95% of the operations that are usually carried out at a bank branch.

More trust, more cross selling

The advantage is therefore to offer the same quality of service provided in presence. But by reaching customers in unmanned areas and also activating cross-selling strategies by leveraging the bank-customer relationship, even if remotely. «The possibility of speaking with an operator generates empathy and allows tellers to better understand the needs of the customers they are following - underlines Bravi. It can therefore happen that you intercept and have to respond to new customer needs: the solution therefore allows you to pass the connection to another operator, specialized for example in mortgages, or investments. A relationship of trust is generated with the operator, as well as with the bank, precisely thanks to the technology, favouring customer retention, as well as the sale of new products".

The launch of the pilot with an Italian bank

TAS also announces that a pilot project has started with one of the four major Italian banks. The goal is to bring the Remote Teller to the branch and extend this new model to various branches in the area. «Within 2 months we integrated our solution – explains Bravi. Naturally it is a customizable tool on the needs of the bank and can also be integrated through the API interfaces».

The future evolution: the shared branch

In the future, this technology could also allow banks to review their real estate strategies: think of a bank branch in a shopping centre or at a hospital. Or, again, within spaces shared with other players, banking and non-banking. «Beyond the regulatory limits, the evolution we are starting to think about is that of the shared branch, like a multi-bank store - concludes Bravi. There are a series of problems to overcome, such as cash management, but it would certainly allow banks to reduce costs, creating shared areas, where an assistant who takes care of receiving customers is sufficient".

Accelerate the digitization of payments

TAS has created a series of end-to-end solutions for digital payments, which allow banks and e-money players to digitize payment management, also launching innovative solutions: from payments through digital wallets, up to PagoPA. «Furthermore, our Global Payment Platform (GPP) integrates with any type of payment and offers a series of advanced services, security for example - declares Bravi - but also advanced analytics solutions and anti-fraud systems» TAS also manages the world of POS services, ATMs and advanced counters. «The latter are ideal tools for people who are familiar with monitors and computers or portable devices – Bravi said. But the basic functions are so simple that, according to our surveys, they are also used by the more mature clientele who are reluctant to use digital devices. In case of difficulty, they can always contact the teller, who will be connected and will supervise the processes at each step, just like at a traditional bank teller".

Author: AziendaBanca by G.C “TAS. Lo sportellista da remoto, per unire fisico e digitale”

English Translation by TAS

Milan – 18 April 2023 – TAS S.p.A., a leading company in Italy in the supply of software and services for banking and financial applications, and the head of a group of companies of the same name (the “TAS”) also present in Europe and America, announces today the acquisition by the subsidiary Global Payments SpA of the entire share capital of Mitobit Srl (hereinafter "Mitobit"), a Tech-Enabler founded in 2014 and specialized in the supply of software applications and services for the Payments, Banking, Insurance and Fintech sectors. Mitobit has a strong focus on technological innovation and digitization, providing services in the IT area, including software development and as-a-service platforms, mainly focused on payments and e-money for the Finance sector.

For TAS it is the fourth acquisition since July 2022 of an emerging company in the Italian Fintech scene, after ASTRO IT, Krisopea and Nemos.

"Our acquisition policy aims to enhance the excellence of the TAS group so that we can provide our customers with complete, integrated solutions and services that enable them to compete in an increasingly dynamic payments market where cutting-edge technology and industry experience are key differentiation factors. Mitobit has these characteristics and we are very excited that it is now part of our group" comments Fabio Bravi, Head of M&A, Special Projects and Corporate Developments of TAS.

“At Mitobit, technology is the lifeblood of our team. Our mission is to build innovative software that meets each company's unique needs. This makes us incredibly proud to be part of the TAS group: two like-minded entities devoted to creating technological breakthroughs and a customer-oriented approach. We are confident that, with our combined expertise and experience, we will be even better placed to deliver high-quality products tailored to an ever-evolving industry where solid foundations and professional standards are paramount”. Davide Carnevali and Luca Falcon, directors and founding partners of Mitobit, declared.

TAS has been assisted in the transaction by KPMG as Financial Advisor and by Lexia Avvocati for the legal and labor law aspects.

Mitobit was assisted in the transaction by the lawyer Alessandro Diani of the LegalTaxLab network for the legal aspects and by Studio Muliari for the due diligence, tax and employment aspects.

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The audit held on 20 March for the maintenance of the HDS certification (hébergeur de données de santé) for TAS France gave a positive outcome.

This is a very important certification, imposed by French legislation, in order to be able to process, and even simply host, health data on its servers.

Go to the certifications page

Milan, March 13^TH, 2023 - TAS SpA (hereinafter "TAS"), a leading company in the supply of software and services for banking and financial applications, in Europe and the Americas, announces the entry of Cristiano Viganò as Group Chief Financial Officer.

Cristiano brings to TAS his many years of experience as CFO in various areas of the ICT world, in particular in digital payments.

Cristiano has worked in prestigious software houses, from Accenture to Clessidra Sgr, up to Ingenico where, for 13 years, he held various roles both in Italy and abroad. In recent years he has been Group CFO of an important system integration company and, recently, of Olivetti.

The skills gained in structured multinational contexts, in particular in the management of M&A operations with related integrations, make him the right person to make a fundamental contribution to the execution of TAS' growth strategy by strengthening its processes and financial governance.

Valentino Bravi, CEO of TAS, said: “With great pleasure we welcome Cristiano to TAS who, with his skills and solid experience, will certainly be an important part of our team to implement the development plans we have in mind for the group shortly.”

Cristiano Viganò added, “I am honored to join an established company in the payments market such as TAS and also enthusiastic to be able to contribute to the execution of the ambitious strategic plan supported by Rivean Capital and led by an Executive team of recognized expertise.”

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TAS Lab is our new research department which aims to continuously invest in innovation in the financial sector. The purpose of TAS Lab is to design technologically advanced solutions that improve how people use financial services, developing state-of-the-art products to provide banks and companies with a competitive advantage in the market.

The department currently focuses on three main research areas: quantum computing for payment fraud prevention, the development of a new phygital model of bank branches (TAS Remote Teller) and the applications of artificial intelligence to the world of payments.

Quantum computing is an emerging technology that promises to revolutionize the way data and financial transactions are handled. TAS Lab, together with the University of Verona (Italy), is exploiting this technology on concrete use cases to develop advanced solutions for the prevention of payment fraud, which allow banks and financial institutions to manage payment transactions more securely and efficiently.

The phygital bank branch, or TAS Remote Teller, represents a new frontier in the banking sector, which combines the advantages of physical presence with the convenience of digital technology. TAS Lab is exploring how this technology can be used to improve the customer banking experience, guaranteeing the physical presence of streamlined branches on the territory with virtual assistance that allows the user to carry out all the banking operations of a traditional branch in a simple and fast way.

Finally, TAS Lab is investing in artificial intelligence, developing advanced algorithms and machine learning technologies to improve data management and financial transactions.

If you are a research institution, a company or an individual with a passion for technology and innovation and are interested in collaborating with TAS Lab, please get in touch with us to submit your idea. The department is always looking for new projects and solutions.

Contact us at solutions@tasgroup.eu to find out how we can create the future of financial services together.

To write this article we used the artificial intelligence of Chat GPT, starting from our ideas💡.

At Sibos 2022, we sat down with Mario Mendia, the Senior Vice President of International Markets at TAS Group, to discuss the emergence of payments-as-a-service and its potential in making banking more accessible to all possible demographics.

Looking at the trends at this year’s Sibos, Mendia is most excited about the digital developments in cross-border payments and CBDC, and the growing presence of cloud technology in major financial institutions.

TAS Group’s Mario Mendia, Senior Vice President - International Markets, and Andrew Quartermaine, TAS International Managing Director, join FinextraTV at Sibos 2022 to discuss TAS’s recent rebranding, their focus on innovation in their product strategy and their views regarding cooperation and competition in the crowded global payments landscape.

Milan, 22 September 2022 - The rebranding unveils a new logo and a completely revised website for a tailored customer experience

The new governance and the delisting from the stock exchange, completed in the first half of 2022, has opened a new chapter for TAS, a leading Software Provider specialized in financial services and platform solutions, with offices in 9 countries spanning Europe and the Americas.

This new chapter has triggered a corporate rebranding that reflects the company's recent transformation, but above all its ambition to accelerate growth internationally.

Founded in 1982 and then a pioneer in the digitization of payment and finance processes for the Italian banking sector, TAS has over a 40 years period evolved to become a key solution provider, supporting the evolution of financial transactions, while extending its operations and capabilities internationally.

In today's increasingly open and competitive market landscape, TAS stands out as an enabler of new customer journeys for established players as well as new market entrants. As a reliable partner, TAS is able to propose innovative technological solutions that allow clients to increase and strengthen their market positioning.

The new group logo is inspired by TAS' ability to evolve, while ensuring consistency and stability in its services and platform solutions.

 “The graphics accompanying our new logo express these concepts through the color gradient that changes within a coherent shape, always maintaining the harmony of the final solution” explainsMarina Jacobone, Marketing Director of TAS. “The components of the symbol adapt to be able to live independently but also united, to work together and at the same time to be able to easily integrate the new, represented by the orange shape. For TAS, modularity is key. "

TAS's mission revolves around the keyword "simplify":

• simplify technological complexity so that customers can focus on their business;
• simplify the adoption of new applications thanks to the modularity of the solutions and their cloud capabilities;
• simplify compliance with standards and regulations by providing solutions that can be easily integrated with the client’s existing solutions;
• simplify project management by entrusting them to the experience of TAS.

A constant commitment to conceive and provide future-proof solutions that facilitate the evolution of financial services at a domestic and cross-border level, favouring the harmonious development of the entire ecosystem for the benefit of banks, investors, businesses, citizens and the general public.

" 2022 was a significant year for us given the investment by Rivean Capital Fund. Rivean gave us new resources to dedicate to the many projects we are investing in, but also helped accelerate the effective roll -out of our unique Global Payment Platform, which is already seeing significant interest across multiple verticals in non-banking industries, such as Insurance, Retailers, On-line Merchants, Utilities and more. "comments CEO Valentino Bravi -" Via this new brand, we wanted to communicate the step change of pace by TAS, while referring to the spirit of our teams, founded on deep expertise and driven by enthusiasm, curiosity and creativity. "

The new website is now live at www.tasgroup.eu

Milan, September 13, 2022 – TAS Group, a global provider of innovative solutions in card management, digital payments, financial messaging and capital markets, has announced that it has been ranked among the Top 100 in the 2022 IDC FinTech Rankings for the 14th consecutive year. The IDC FinTech Rankings evaluates and categorizes the top IT vendors based on 2021 calendar year revenues and the percentage of revenues exclusively attributed to financial institutions, including banks, capital markets firms, and insurers or directly to fintech solution providers for hardware, software, and/or services.

“IDC is honored to recognize the technology providers that appear on the 19 th annual IDC FinTech Rankings,” said Marc DeCastro, Research Director at IDC Financial Insights. “These are the companies that have shown commitment to the financial services industry and their appearance on the list is a testament to that dedication.”

Valentino Bravi, Chairman and CEO at TAS Group, remarked, " We really appreciate our inclusion in this renowned and independent Ranking, year after year. In 2021 TAS’s resilience and continuous improvements were also recognised by the VC world, with the acquisition of majority control of the company by Rivean Capital private equity. Excelling in Financial Technology to support the Banking Industry and new challenger enterprises navigate disrupted market forces is our first commitment; one that we pursue with passion and tireless teamwork."

Andrew Quartermaine, COO International Markets, added, " There is a clear need for SW Solution providers who understand the Open Finance market, a landscape being significantly reshaped by the regulatory environment in Europe and beyond. Given TAS’ size and experienced track record, we can show outstanding flexibility, ensuring effective partnerships and growth together with our customers.”

The impact of technology on business and human life is becoming more and more strategic in the last decade. Collaboration and innovation are key recipes for leading technology suppliers, such as TAS, who has been strongly leveraging cloud and open API technology to build SaaS enabled platforms for banks, improving their time to market and ability to adapt rapidly to changing regulatory demands.

TAS Global Payment Platform (GPP) has its roots in synergistic integration of software components in the fields of transaction banking, financial value chain services, cards and account-based payments. Conceived “as a service” to both incumbent and challenger players of the Payments Ecosystem, its rich set of APIs allows seamlessly integration with existing architectures, and with modern, white-labelled BaaS solutions.

At Eurosystem level TAS continues to support Europe’s financial community in meeting T2/T2S Consolidation deadlines, ECMS and SWIFT FIN’s migration towards ISO20022.

In the Issuing and Acquiring domain TAS continues to attract a growing FinTech customer base throughout Europe and the Americas based on the extreme flexibility and embedded compliance of its solutions.