A computer system that will allow local shops to sell goods such as Outerbridge's sherry peppers to clients in Brazil in reales or in Japan in yen on the Internet has been announced by a leading Bermudian e-commerce company.

First Atlantic Commerce has revealed details of its multi-currency payment solution which will allow its clients to price goods in 52 separate currencies.

"We are very excited to announce this significant addition to our services,'' said Andrea Wilson, senior vice-president of First Atlantic.

"Our clients are now able to market their goods and services to consumers everywhere with the opportunity for the consumer to pay in a currency of their choice. This is strategic for our business and for Bermuda's continued push for e-commerce excellence in the eyes of the world.'' Ms Wilson hinted at the new deal at last week's e-commerce conference in Miami.

The proposal will allow customers to purchase the product in their local currency without a foreign currency exchange transaction applied to the credit card.

And consumers will be able to identify the exact amount they will be charged instead of estimating the charges to be applied to their credit card account.

First Atlantic already offers multi-jurisdictional and split settlement solutions and the company hopes that all these services will continue to bring in more clients.

"First Atlantic is now in a unique position in that we can now offer a complete global e-commerce solution to our clients, backed with solid industry experience and technological expertise,'' said Ms Wilson.

This leading edge technology coupled with Fist Atlantic's strategic relationships with Visa International, First Data Corporation and the Bank of Bermuda will open the doors to major new markets and continue to position Bermuda at the forefront of the burgeoning e-commerce market place.'' Transactions will be conducted in real time, so foreign exchange rates will fluctuate automatically with markets around the world.

The 52 currencies include the Hong Kong dollar, Japanese yen, Singapore dollar, Swiss franc, Swedish kroner, German mark, Brazil reals, Argentinian peso, Australian dollar and the Euro, as well as the US dollar, Canadian dollar and the UK pound.

First Atlantic is targeting the local market to get Bermuda-based merchants to use the multi-currency pricing options for their web-sites.

"The opportunity to sell Bermuda products into markets on the other side of the world and price in currency the consumers are familiar with just makes good business sense and will build customer loyalty,'' said Ms Wilson.