Microsoft Extends International Availability of Powerful Personal Finance Management Services

REDMOND, Wash., Aug. 21, 2001 — Microsoft Corp. today announced the global expansion of its online personal finance service, MSN® Money, and personal finance management software, Microsoft® Money 2002. The award-winning MSN Money service is now available in 11 languages on four continents, providing 76 percent of the world’s online population with access to Microsoft’s sophisticated array of tools, news, commentary and analysis, and extending the service’s reach to a potential global Internet market of 263 million people.

Localized versions of MSN Money are now available in Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States. These new services are designed to meet the needs of each country’s users by providing enhanced navigation and localized content to help them review, understand and improve their financial situation.

“We are committed to providing consumers worldwide with the best personal finance experience — whether online or offline,”
said Erik Jorgensen, general manager of the Financial Products Group at Microsoft.
“Our decade of experience in building money management solutions has enabled us to ‘go global’ and arm consumers from Japan to Spain with the tools they need to simplify their financial lives.”

International versions of Microsoft Money 2002 software, which are now available in five different languages, allow consumers worldwide to take advantage of more than 100 new or enhanced features that simplify everyday money management and long-term financial planning.

This international growth exemplifies the company’s commitment to providing consumers with technology to simplify and enrich their financial lives, any time, any place.

Microsoft Celebrates 10 Years in Personal Finance Management

Today’s international announcement builds on Microsoft’s leadership in the personal finance management space, marked by its 10th anniversary in the personal finance industry, both online with CNBC on MSN Money and offline with Microsoft Money software.

In a separate announcement today, Microsoft said it has released the 10th anniversary versions of its Money 2002 finance management software in Deluxe, Standard and Suite editions. Money 2002 combines unparalleled Web integration with a plethora of new and enhanced features to help consumers save time and more easily manage their day-to-day finances.

Further illustrating Microsoft’s recent advancements in personal finance, the CNBC on MSN Money Web service in the United States today launched the next generation of online financial tools: the Spending Analysis and Budget Tracker. Bringing the power of finance software to the Web, these new features automatically input consumers’ relevant financial data and enable them to create and monitor a realistic budget and analyze spending habits with just a few clicks of the mouse.

About CNBC on MSN Money

CNBC on MSN Money, located exclusively on MSN, is a complete online personal finance service that combines the award-winning finance tools and content from Microsoft, the worldwide leader in software, with exclusive investment news and analysis from CNBC, the world’s most popular financial cable news network. CNBC on MSN Money offers consumers the ability to easily complete a wide range of everyday financial tasks, such as paying bills, viewing account balances, tracking investments, planning for retirement and staying informed on the latest financial news, in one convenient place online — any time, any place.

CNBC on MSN Money enables people at all levels of experience to take control of and feel comfortable with their finances, helping them make smart financial decisions. Leading industry publications, including Barron’s, Forbes Magazine, Money Magazine, PC Magazine and PC World Magazine, consistently applaud the sophisticated personal finance tools and information from Microsoft. The service is available at http://www.cnbc.com/ or http://money.msn.com/ , or by visiting MSN.

About CNBC

CNBC is the recognized global leader in business news, providing real-time financial market coverage and business information to more than 198 million homes worldwide, including more than 82 million households in the United States and Canada. The network’s Business Day programming (weekdays from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET) is produced at CNBC’s headquarters in Fort Lee, N.J., and includes reports from CNBC news bureaus worldwide. In addition, CNBC viewers can manage their individual investment portfolios and gain additional in-depth information from on-air reports by accessing http://www.cnbc.com/ . CNBC Europe and CNBC Asia Pacific are services of NBC and Dow Jones & Company. Members of the media can receive more information about CNBC and its programming on the NBC Media Village Web site at http://www.nbcmv.com/cnbc/ .

About MSN

MSN is the world’s most popular destination on the Web, attracting more than 250 million visitors per month. Available in 33 markets and 17 languages, MSN provides consumers with their home on the Web where they can get everything they need from the Web and make the most of their time online. MSN is a world leader in delivering Web services to consumers and digital marketing solutions to businesses worldwide. MSN is located on the Web at http://www.msn.com/ .

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software — any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft and MSN are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

Related Posts