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History of EFiS AG

EFiS AG has been a significant pioneer for automated payment processing in Europe for over 35 years. As an independent service provider, we bridge the gap between complex banking IT and the requirements of modern companies.
History

The Foundation: Innovation and Partnership

The success story of EFiS is inseparably linked with ABK Systeme GmbH. This duo forms a rare unit in the market consisting of software development and operational management:

  • The Synergy: While ABK, as the technological heart, develops and operates the software solutions (such as the transaction platform) with high availability, EFiS AG is the face to the customer.
  • The Value Add: EFiS handles customer support, the connection to worldwide networks, and compliance with the strictest regulatory requirements.

This constellation guarantees our customers that software and operations are perfectly aligned – "Made in Germany" from a single source.

Milestones of Company Development

1980s & 90s: The Pioneer Phase

At a time when payment processing was still dominated by manual work, founder Armin Gerhardt laid the foundation for today's EFiS with his visions of integrated payment transactions.

  • 1984: Foundation of ABK Systeme GmbH as a software house.
  • Establishment of EFiS: With the vision of offering payment processing as a service (Software-as-a-Service), EFiS AG was born. The goal was to free companies and banks from the burden of their own infrastructure.

Building the SWIFT Service Bureau

A decisive breakthrough was the establishment and licensing as a SWIFT Service Bureau in 1997. EFiS thus enabled customers to participate in global payment processing without complex internal installations and SWIFT expertise. As the world's second private SWIFT Service Bureau, we set early standards for security and accessibility.

Infrastructure at the Highest Level

To guarantee maximum stability, EFiS has relied on IBM mainframe technology under Linux for decades. Millions of transactions are processed daily in our high-security data centers.

Sustainability and Responsibility

EFiS took an early pioneering role in Green IT.

  • The waste heat from our data centers is used to heat buildings.
  • Our own photovoltaic systems have been supplying our systems with green energy for a very long time.

For us, technical progress is inseparably linked with ecological responsibility.

EFiS Today: Ready for the Future

Today, we support our customers through the challenges of Instant Payments, advancing regulation, the continuous development of ISO 20022, and the increase in transparency in payments (SWIFT gpi, Track and Trace).

Work on solutions for the near future such as fraud detection, cross-border and SWIFT transformation, digital currencies and tokenization, API strategies, real-time liquidity management, and much more also takes place in close coordination with our customers and partners.

EFiS AG – We make payment transactions simple, secure, and future-proof.