ABI Lab, the R&D Centre for Banking Technologies, (www.abilab.it) was born in 2001 as an initiative of the Italian Banking Association (ABI). The growing impact of technologies on banking business models and the need for a closer connection between buyers and vendors led to the establishment of the ABI Lab Consortium, made up of banks and ICT partners working together to create knowledge and develop competence on ICT topics.
ABI Lab collects technological know how on an international basis, coming from institutional sources and centres of excellence, it does research activities on innovative technologies to manage processes, channels, security and IT architectures in the Italian banking system and it shares results through both traditional and innovative channels in the network between banks and ICT companies it has created.
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INSTITUTIONAL COLLABORATIONS
ABI Lab supports ABI in relating with Institutions, to evolve the regulatory framework and find common infrastructural solutions.
To this regard, ABI Lab jointly works with the Minister for Public Administration and Innovation, with the aim of creating optimal conditions for the development of technologies sector as well as of increasing the efficiency in the relation between banking sector and Public Administration. The banking system is part of the 2012 e-Government Plan to make public services easier for citizens and enterprises through banking channels.
ABI Lab signed an agreement with CNIPA (National Centre for Informatization of the Public Administration) to strengthen the collaboration between banks and Public Administration on biometrics in the framework of secure identities.
ABI Lab has been continuously strengthening relations with Institutions in the field of information security, by actively cooperating with CNIPA and CIPA, on the basis of an agreement signed in 2007. Collaboration with Bank of Italy and CIPA widens to drafting the Annual Report on technology in the Italian banking system and to the definition of a new synthetic research on the European banking system.
It is worth mentioning the ongoing collaboration with the Post and Communications Police, aimed at activating a useful synergy to prevent attacks against information systems of the banks, by sharing knowledge on unauthorized access to systems and networks and on the spreading of viruses and internet frauds.
ABI Lab set up a strong relationship with FSTC (Financial Services Technology Consortium), the US consortium dealing with banking technologies, with the aim of developing joint research activities. Further, ABI Lab represents ABI at the EU level in working groups on security, led by EPC and EBF.
ABI Lab RESEARCH
The main research activity is the Scenario analysis of the ICT market for the banking sector, permanently aimed at surveying and monitoring available technologies.
On the basis of the outcomes of this research, ABI Lab identifies specific topics to be investigated in detail. Banks and ICT partners are involved in joint experimentation and pilots to prove effectiveness of emerging technologies. The main output of these activities is the ABI Lab Report, focused on the trends of the ICT market for the Italian banking sector.
TOPICS AND OBSERVATORIES
Research topics are identified on the basis of banks and ICT partners requirements and faced through joint working groups and observatories.
ABI Lab is currently dealing with the following topics:
· Dematerialization
· General Framework for Security Governance in banking
· Interbanking Infrastructures
· Methodologies for innovation in banking
· Technological optimization of cash management
· Technologies for SEPA, MiFID and PSD compliance
· Web 2.0 and virtual worlds
Observatories are permanent task forces created by ABI Lab to properly monitor “hot topics”. So far, Observatories have been started on:
· Back office
· Bank’s Call Centre
· Banking Processes
· Business Continuity
· Centre for computer and internet threats in the banking sector
· Corporate Portals in banks
· ICT Architectures
· Secure identity management
· Telecommunications
ABI Lab COMMUNICATION
The results of ABI Lab research activities are diffused through several initiatives:
- workshops to spread research outputs
- informative meetings reserved to ABI Lab community members
- publication of research reports about topics dealt with by ABI Lab working groups
- publication of articles in journals and specialised magazines
- informative booklets on topics related to the banking sector
- the ABI Lab Connecting Conference annual Forum
- ABI Lab website
ABI Lab COMMUNICATION AND WEBSITE
The results of ABI Lab research activities are diffused through several initiatives:
- workshops to spread research outputs
- informative meetings reserved to ABI Lab community members
- publication of research reports about topics dealt with by ABI Lab working groups
- publication of articles in journals and specialised magazines
- informative booklets on topics related to the banking sector
Further, ABI Lab organises every year the Forum, at its fifth edition in 2009, endorsed since 2006 by the Minister for Public Administration and Innovation, with the aim to create a meeting point between banks and ICT partners. During the Forum, outcomes of all the researches carried out along the year are summed up, with particular attention on the future.
ABI Lab Forum has become a milestone to support the dialogue between banks and ICT companies, to lead them to a common understanding of innovation and development, and to give an influential and complete updating on trends and best practices of ICT in banking. www.abilab.it
In addition to traditional communication channels, ABI Lab makes a large use of its portal (www.abilab.it), to share knowledge among its members.
Several functions are available, such as document search and retrieval, collaboration and personalization, which make the portal an innovative channel of sharing research results, as well as a community tool, to promote interactions among users.
The leading role played by the website is confirmed by the continuous increase of its users: up to now more than 2.400 people are registered, coming from banking sector, ICT companies, universities and Institutions. The available knowledge base gets richer every day and more and more documents are downloaded by the community.