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New electronic marketplace marks a Canadian first
Montreal, 3 October 2001 - The National Bank and ClicCommerce today announced the launch of ClicInc, a versatile new B2B electronic marketplace. ClicCommerce, it will be recalled, is a joint initiative by the National Bank, the No. 1 bank in Quebec, and Cognicase, a leader in Internet technology.
ClicInc is the newest addition to the ClicCommerce line, which already includes ClicBusinessFinder, ClicWeb and ClicCatalogue. According to Michel Lozeau, Senior Vice-President, E-Commerce at the National Bank, ClicInc will greatly facilitate procurement processes for businesses. "ClicInc is the product of our ability to take the latest e-commerce trends and put them to work for our clients, based on the concrete needs they have expressed to us during periodic surveys," Mr. Lozeau stated. Quoting the findings of a recent survey by the HEC, he added that e-commerce was expected to slash procurement-related costs by some 70%.
Moreover, as Guy Bérard, President of ClicCommerce, was quick to point out, ClicInc signals a Canadian first in that it offers both private and public marketplaces.
The private marketplace enables groups of buyers and suppliers to access an electronic transaction platform designed specifically for them. The public marketplace, in contrast, is open to everyone and businesses can access it free of charge to purchase the computer equipment and office supplies they need.
As Tony Meti, the Bank's Senior Vice-President – Commercial Banking for North America, stated, "the array of products offered with the roll-out of ClicInc responds in every respect to the current procurement needs of businesses. In fact, with ClicInc and our recently upgraded Internet Banking Solutions Inc, we have further consolidated our service offering to SMEs in Quebec. We can confidently say that the National Bank leads the way with this new technology."
Mr. Meti also emphasized that e-commerce was first and foremost another way of doing business. “All the highly sophisticated services now being offered to entrepreneurs were developed with one goal in mind, that of helping them become even more competitive.”
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National Bank of Canada is an integrated group whose mission is to provide comprehensive financial services to consumers, small and medium-sized enterprises and large corporations in its core market, while offering specialized services to its clients elsewhere in the world. The National Bank has assets of over $75 billion and, together with its subsidiaries, it employs some 17,000 people. The Bank's shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
ClicCommerce is a company specialized in e-commerce and is held by National Bank of Canada (90%) and Cognicase (10%). Since it was created in January 2001, ClicCommerce has developed and implemented four electronic platforms currently serving over 4,500 businesses. |
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For more information (the telephone numbers are for the exclusive use of journalists and other media representatives) : |
Guy Bérard
ClicCommerce
Tel.: (514) 878-3550 ext. 224
Cell.: (514) 915-2173
Carole Gagné
National Bank of Canada
Tel.: (514) 394-6991
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