Cambridge, Mass. - May 15, 2001 - Escher Group Limited, a leading provider of peer-to-peer messaging and data management solutions, has signed a multi-million dollar, four year contract with ICL Pathway to provide a range of software, consulting and support services. ICL Pathway, a subsidiary of the e-business services company ICL, is one of the major suppliers working with the UK Post Office to develop, deliver and manage their network banking services which were announced last month. Escher Group's WebRiposte™ messaging platform serves as the foundation upon which these distributed, Web-based, banking applications will be delivered to the counter.

Two fundamental components of this recent agreement include Escher Group's Asset Manager Web Service software and the WebRiposte Application Framework. The Asset Manager Web Service software utilizes an accounting module and integrates the capabilities of a general ledger system into WebRiposte. The Post Office benefits from a seamless integration between existing and new transaction data, all accessible through a single interface. The WebRiposte Application Framework is a standard set of application components, which will enable ICL to construct customized solutions for the UK Post Office. This Web-based environment provides an open system supporting applications in a counter environment, in a mail environment, on a kiosk, on the Internet, or at the customer site.

"Given the scale of the Riposte implementation into the counter network of the UK Post Office and the great success we achieved with this project to date, Escher has proven to us that their software is unmatched for quality and reliability," said Liam Foley, business development director of ICL Pathway. "Our main objective now is to grow new business areas for the UK Post Office and banking is key to that development."

The UK Post Office has been a customer of Escher Group since 1996. At that time, Escher's flagship messaging product, Riposte®, was chosen to automate 40,000 counter positions within 18,000 Post Office branches, giving the Post Office the largest secure retail/banking computer network in Europe. For the year 1999-2000, while the system was being rolled out, the Post Office achieved a transaction volume of 2.42 billion amounting to a value of $239 billion. WebRiposte is built upon the core-messaging infrastructure that has been deployed in the Riposte product line.

"Enhancements such as Asset Manager Web Services and the Application Framework allow ICL and our other business partners to quickly develop and deploy customized applications generating new marketing and revenue opportunities for their customers," said Michael Murphy, president and CEO of Escher Group. "We are proud to have the continued support of our business partners and we are excited to be a part of the modernization of the postal industry as a whole."

About Escher Group, Limited

Escher Group Limited is a leading provider of distributed transaction processing and data management solutions and services. The company offers a business-to-business XML-based transaction management environment, used in thousands of locations worldwide. Since its introduction in 1993, Riposte®, Escher's flagship messaging solution, has grown to become the market leader in post office counter automation.

Trademarks: WebRiposte and Riposte are trademarks or registered trademarks of Escher Group, Limited in the United States and/or other countries. All other product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Contact Information:

Escher Group Limited
info@eschergroup.com