Accenture Launches Payments Innovation Showcase at Technology Lab in France

SOPHIA ANTIPOLIS, France--(Business Wire)--
Accenture (NYSE:ACN) today announced it has opened a new facility
at its research and development technology lab in Sophia Antipolis,
France, dedicated to innovation in the rapidly growing global payments
industry. The facility, called the Accenture Payments Innovation
Showcase, focuses on original research and development in all facets
of the payments business, including mobile communications and other
point-of-sale technology, bank-to-corporate connectivity, processing,
process models, biometrics, regulation such as the Single Euro
Payments Area (SEPA) initiative, and security.

The Accenture Payments Innovation Showcase, combining Accenture's
deep industry experience and leading technology capabilities, will
demonstrate how businesses can drive innovation, reduce costs and
improve the quality of products and services to their customers by
using cutting-edge technologies.

"Technology innovation is a key driver of high performance," said
Martin Illsley, director of research at Accenture Technology Labs in
Sophia Antipolis, France. "In combining technology expertise with
business acumen, our researchers apply new and emerging technologies
to create prototypes and cutting-edge solutions that help clients
maximize future performance."

Every year, 150 leading global organizations attend technology
workshops hosted by Accenture at its four technology Labs, in Sophia
Antipolis, France, San Jose and Chicago in the United States, and
Bangalore, India. The Payments Innovation Showcase will tap into this
program, hosting payments executives for one- and two-day
applied-technology programs that immerse participants in the payments
business and current technology, as well as foster discussion of how
their businesses and customers can benefit.

"The payments business faces massive change driven by increased
competition, disruptive regulation, declining margins and revenues in
traditional lines, rising transaction volume, and greater need for
technology, scale and actionable information," said Antonio Iglesias,
an Accenture Financial Services senior executive who leads the
payments business in Europe and Latin America. "Now is the time for
Accenture to devote even more resources to helping clients better
understand and benefit from this change. And it makes sense to base
this work in Europe, where so much innovation is taking place."

The Showcase currently includes industry prototypes that draw on a
number of new and emerging technologies including:

-- Mobile payments provisioning

-- Accenture Near Field Communications Wallet, which enables
mobile payments with ATMs

-- Biometric identification

-- Point-of-sale scenarios

-- Mobile banking, including in-branch applications

-- Accenture High Performance Bank Business Process tool, which
can be used to design the most appropriate and efficient
processes for specific tasks

-- SAP Payment Engine, a high-scaling payment processing solution
for banks, shared-service centers and automated clearinghouses

About Accenture

Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services
and outsourcing company. Combining unparalleled experience,
comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business
functions, and extensive research on the world's most successful
companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become
high-performance businesses and governments. With 178,000 people in 49
countries, the company generated net revenues of US$19.70 billion for
the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2007. Its home page is
www.accenture.com.

Editor's note

-- Accenture will host journalists and industry analysts for
programs at the Payments Innovation Showcase. The programs
will include payments researchers and business experts. For
more information, please contact one of the Accenture
representatives listed below.

Accenture
Francois Luu, + 33 1 53 23 68 55
Financial Services
francois.luu@Accenture.com
or
Accenture Technology
Ed Trapasso, +1 917 452 3555
ed.trapasso@Accenture.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008