Boston, Mass. - August 16, 1999 - Escher Group Ltd, provider of the world's most widely used postal automation software, today announced that it is seeking technology partners to complete a secure e-commerce bill payment solution for its international postal customers. With plans to integrate leading secure payment processing with its own e-Riposte application, Escher Group will provide a robust, end-to-end solution that enables postal authorities to remain competitive through expanded, Internet-based service offerings. Escher Group is looking to partner with a leading provider of secure payment technology, with exceptional expertise and support in processing payments.

The new e-Riposte Bill Payment module will allow post offices to collect bill payments on behalf of agencies, such as utilities, via a postal counter or the Internet. Escher Group plans to develop and market this new e-commerce bill payment solution to its existing customer base throughout ten countries and four continents, and continue to build on its global market leadership position in post office automation software.

Leveraging the increasing popularity and prevalence of the Internet, Escher's e-Riposte solution allows post offices to expand their services beyond the physical branch by creating an electronic pathway to the post office. It integrates seamlessly with the core Riposte product and provides postal organizations with a complete, end-to-end post office automation solution. With e-Riposte, customers can perform various transactions through the post office from anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

e-Riposte supports Internet standards such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and SET (Secure Electronic Transaction), ensuring the integrity of financial data as well as the confidentiality of personal information. The solution gives post offices the opportunity to grow with technology and the ability to provide existing and potential customers with the most advanced services available.

Riposte, Escher's core product, provides a message-oriented middleware architecture for post office networking and application development. With Riposte, post offices in even the most remote areas can easily and safely automate mail services and other customer services, such as retail, agency, and banking transactions, with minimal training. Currently licensed on over 80,000 desktops worldwide, Riposte customers include postal authorities in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Singapore, Australia, Slovakia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, and most recently Namibia.

About Escher Group, Limited

Escher Group Limited is a leading provider of distributed transaction processing and data management solutions and services. The company offers a business-to-business XML-based transaction management environment, used in thousands of locations worldwide. Since its introduction in 1993, Riposte®, Escher's flagship messaging solution, has grown to become the market leader in post office counter automation.

Trademarks: WebRiposte and Riposte are trademarks or registered trademarks of Escher Group, Limited in the United States and/or other countries. All other product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Information:

Escher Group Limited
information@eschergroup.com