Caixanova, IBM and INSA today announced an agreement to promote technology innovation in Galicia (Spain).

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090416/IBMLOGO )

As part of the agreement, IBM, through its affiliate INSA, will create a Technology Innovation Centre (CENIT) in Orense. The Centre, due to open later this year, will initially focus on the development and management of applications for Caixanova, such as core banking, Internet banking and branch network applications. This will be possible through a contract signed by IBM s affiliate INSA and Caixanova and will have a life of 10 years.

The aim is to help retain technology talent in this Spanish region and attract new talent, while providing a centre of excellence for banking sector technology.

In the future, the Centre will also develop various technology projects for other Spanish and international financial institutions and other companies, focusing on improving productivity through the design, development and maintenance of applications on diverse technology platforms.

The Orense Centre will collaborate with two other centres in Spain as well as IBM's international network of innovation centres.

Julio Fernandez Gayoso, Caixanova s Chairman, said: "This agreement will have a very positive social economic impact in Galicia, as it involves the generation of employment and wealth in the area. It will also provide a major boost for the Information Technology industry, offering new IT services for businesses in the region."

Juan Antonio Zufiria, IBM General Manager for Spain, Portugal, Greece and Israel, said: "The world is changing. It is becoming smaller and flatter, as well as more interconnected, technologically well-informed and, in short, smarter. In this environment, which is very complex but also affords opportunities; businesses must seek ways to become more competitive and to stand out from their competitors. The creation of this new CENIT Centre and the agreement with Caixanova is a new way of doing things and will guide IBM towards new innovation, helping to generate more competitive and sustainable development in Galicia."

The goal of the CENIT Centres run by INSA (IBM Group) is to contribute business solutions that enable companies to be more efficient, flexible and adaptable to market changes, and to offer management and maintenance services for their applications.

  The agreement was signed at the end of June 2009.

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  Patricia Nunez Canal                   Randy Zane
  IBM Communications                     IBM Media Relations
  Tel.: 00 34 91 3977782                 917-472-3589
  patricia.nunez@es.ibm.com              rzane@us.ibm.com

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SOURCE: IBM