Stratus provides links to Swift 2.

Stratus Provides Links to Swift 2

Stratus Computer Inc. said it had installed systems giving Industrial Bank of Japan International Ltd. and First International Bank of Israel access to the Swift 2 network.

The systems were installed in the banks' headquarters, in Tokyo and Tel Aviv.

The software involved, called Mint, was developed by Manof Systems Inc. of Tel Aviv, a marketing partner of Stratus, which is based in Marlboro, Mass.

The software runs on Stratus fault-tolerant computers, whose built-in backup provisions are designed to keep them running even if a component fails.

Faster Version of Original

Swift 2 is a larger, faster version of the original Swift, an international communications network that banks use to transmit money-transfer instructions, financial documents, and other messages.

Banks began linking to Swift 2 in mid-1990.

The network is operated by the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, a Brussels-based consortium of some 1,600 banks.

First International Bank of Israel recently installed the software to link to Swift 1 and Swift 2 and to telex and fax networks.

Full International Menu

The fourth-largest bank in Israel, First International is using the Mint system to support all international banking activities.

The system allows First International Bank to reconcile data that it receives from remote sites, according to Stratus.

Industrial Bank of Japan, which began using the software Sept. 2, uses it only to connect to Swift 2 in support of operations including bond trading and swaps.

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