SAO PAULO, Brazil -- Brazil's third largest bank, Caixa Economica Federal (CEF), has purchased Diebold advanced-function ATMs, check dispensing terminals and related services in a deal valued at nearly U.S. $43 million.
The terminals will be installed at 1,800 CEF branches throughout the country by year-end 2002, according to Diebold.
In 2001 CEF signed a separate outsourcing agreement with Diebold for the management of its self-service network. Through this agreement, Diebold is managing the bank's "Blue Rooms," (Sala Azul) 24-hour self-service vestibule lobby operations.
These Blue Rooms offer customers around-the-clock access to advanced-function ATMs, cash dispensers and check-sheet dispensers. Besides hardware for nearly 500 Blue Rooms nationwide, Diebold is providing CEF with installation, cabling, communication lines, first- and second-line maintenance service, ATM monitoring and application software.
According to Diebold, the Blue Rooms are the first instance of complete outsourcing of an ATM network in Brazil, a business model that other financial institutions are beginning to implement.
