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The changes in the rules introduced by the European Union (EU) in the 2014-2020 budget perspective have led to the need to implement new IT solutions. In order to enable ARiMR to process applications in the Campaign 2015 and further periods, Asseco Poland has created IACSplus - a complex administrative and IT system enabling an efficient distribution of funds and a control of assistance to farmers. The system is in line with the principles of implementing the Common Agricultural Policy. That was a period of major challenges for ARiMR and Asseco. The scale and the complexity of the project have caused delays in the schedule, but thanks to a good cooperation the payments have been completed on time.

Asseco has been cooperating with ARiMR since 2001. After a few years we have taken over the maintenance of the IT resources of the Agency. Our cooperation reached a key moment when we processed the applications scheduled for 2015 under the EU 2014-2020 budget perspective, which required the development of a new system. We had to meet the EU requirements, and the scope of the changes and the development of the system was so large that we often found ourselves behind the schedule. Many EU countries have failed to cope with that challenge. We have had to face various complications, but despite the fact that ARiMR is the largest Payment Agency in the EU, which serves the largest number of farmers, it has managed to pay the subsidies within the required deadlines, by June 2016, said Witold Malina, Director of the Agriculture Division in Asseco Poland. This would not have been possible without the huge involvement of ARiMR and our specialists. Owing to the constructive approach of the Agency's management and the cooperation of our teams, we were able to respond to all emerging problems in real time and gradually implement the next modules of the system. Later, the processing of the applications in 2016 went seamlessly - nearly 70% of the payments were transferred by December 2016. During that period we also completed works on the last modules because the development of the system is still done more efficiently than building it from scratch, he added.

The IACSplus system is an extremely important element of the subsidy process for farmers. Each year, it serves over 1.3 million beneficiaries. Its implementation was a guarantee that the payments financed by the EU fund would be granted fairly and in accordance with the rules. During his recent press conference, President of ARiMR Dariusz Golec commented on the results of the Campaign 2016, whose processing was possible thanks to the system, which Asseco Poland finally completed in December, 2016. Dariusz Golec emphasized that the payments to the farmers under the Campaign 2016 were processed faster than during the Campaign 2015. He stated that by May 16, 2017, ARiMR paid PLN 13.63 billion under direct payments to farmers, which accounted for over 90% of the funds allocated to that goal. He added that the amount was by more than PLN 2 billion higher than the sum paid in the corresponding period in 2015. The president of ARiMR also said that the disbursement of the LFA funds from the 2014-2020 RDP was processed faster than in the previous year's campaign - it amounted to PLN 1.20 billion (91.5% of the funds). In December 2016, DXC took over the maintenance and development of the system for the following years. The company will be responsible for handling the Campaign 2017.

The project involves developing the world's first prototype system which will use advanced self-learning mechanisms to process information. It aims at creating algorithms and an Operational Intelligence environment for delivering multi-channel, personalized customer interaction. This means that the solution will meet the expectations of the users by understanding their individual needs and the reason for their use of the system. It will gradually gather information about users from such sources as: websites, mobile devices, social media and the Internet of Things. Thanks to machine learning mechanisms, the system will "understand" the context of the captured data and carry out the right action without human intervention.

In practice, convergence services providers, primarily telecom providers, will receive a tool which will give them the access to a complete picture of their customer's situation. The information will be automatically generated by the system. The providers will be able to use it to create new products and services with an unprecedented level of personalization and ability to respond to current, individual needs of end users. In addition, companies will be able to conduct multi-channel customer interaction through their employees, devices (eg. cell phones or smartwatches) and intelligent bot agents.

According to research conducted by Gartner: Context Awareness, the Operational Intelligence and the Internet of Things are one of the most important trends in modern IT. In turn, CRM systems are one of the areas with the highest degree of absorption of these technologies.

The project we are about to start is not just about meeting the needs of our users, but primarily about creating a solution that will change the way of the interaction between customers and the system and between organizations and customers, said Szymon Marzec, Director of Design Division in Asseco Poland. The solution's capabilities will therefore make it possible to create new business needs and new markets, he added.

The Avagat research and development project has been developed by Asseco's Telecommunications and Media Division and the EU Projects Division. Its total value will amount to PLN 12,000,266.43. NCBiR received 72 applications in the competition, out of which 25 best candidates were selected for the financing.

Asseco owns companies located in more than 50 countries around the world. In 2016, foreign companies of the Asseco Group generated operating profit of PLN 511 million, by PLN 44 million more than in 2015.

The Asseco Group's revenues from the sales of proprietary IT solutions accounted for 82% of total revenues in the first quarter of 2017. The share of foreign markets in total revenues increased to 83% and amounted to PLN 1.7 billion. The structure of the Group's revenues is strongly diversified among sectors and was as follows in the first three months of 2017: 41% - general business, 38% - banking and finance, and 21% - public institutions. The Group grew especially dynamically in the ERP segment, with revenues 16% higher than in the corresponding period in the previous year in that area of activity.

In the first quarter of 2017, the revenues of the Asseco Group increased significantly, exceeding the level of PLN 2 billion. This is a result of dynamic development in foreign markets, whose share in the Group's total revenues reached 83%. In addition, we strengthened the presence of the Group in the ERP solutions segment - our companies operating in this area achieved very good results, we are developing Asseco Enterprise Solutions and we have decided on a new acquisition that will strengthen the Group's potential in this market. As far as the operating profit is concerned, it was strongly affected by worse quarterly results of the Israeli company Sapiens, which was a consequence of ending up work with a key client. In turn, the net profit was strongly affected by negative currency exchange rate fluctuations, especially in Grupa Formuła - said Rafał Kozłowski, Vice President of the Management Board of Asseco Poland.

Revenues' growth in the first quarter of 2017 resulted mainly from foreign markets, in which the Asseco Group operates. The Israeli companies maintained strong sales growth dynamics (22%) in the first three months of 2017, exceeding PLN 1.2 billion in revenues. It is worth noting that Sapiens strengthened its presence in the US market through the acquisition of insurer StoneRiver. In the South Eastern European market, revenues grew by 11%, thanks to the growth in payments, banking and integration segments. The Western European market recorded an increase of 2% in revenues on annual basis, thanks to focusing on selling proprietary solutions in Spain, Western Europe, and the African markets, in which Portuguese company Exictos operates. As part of the further reorganization of the Group's structure, Asseco Central Europe was delisted from the Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW). Central Europe saw a significant increase in the sales of ERP systems with a decline in infrastructure revenues. In Poland, Asseco Business Solutions, which specializes in the ERP solutions, achieved satisfactory results.

The forum was attended by CEOs and deputy CEOs, directors and heads of the cooperative banks, as well as the representatives of the companies cooperating with them. Among them was Zbigniew Pomianek, Vice President of the Management Board of Asseco Poland, who additionally participated in the panel devoted to the PSD2 Direcive, which was one of the main topics of this year's meeting.In his speech he focused on the benefits the directive would bring to banks.

In our online banking, thanks to PSD2, we will be able to share information about accounts that clients have in other banks, said Zbigniew Pomianek.

The conference ended with a gala which awarded the laureates of the "Distinguished Cooperative Banks 2017" National Ranking. Asseco’s five clients were among the laureates, of which two - Bank Spółdzielczy in Brodnica and Bank Spółdzielczy Ziemi Kaliskiej - took 1st place in their categories.

Asseco is the largest Polish IT company. In 2016, the Group's revenues amounted to over PLN 7.9 billion, which represents a 9% increase on annual basis.