Financial Services and IT – An Expanding Opportunity

[Leo Mennitt]

This is the topic for our next IT Network program, below is a description of the program. Please post any comments you would like to have the panelist comment on when we meet on February 28.

No sector of the "old" economy has been more directly affected by information technology than financial services. Money itself - the industry's raw material - has gone digital, and so have the products and services that support consumer finance, from debit cards to financial planning software.

Technology has made it easier for consumers to access financial services and cheaper for providers to develop and deliver them. New partnerships are consequently forming between "old" economy and "new" economy firms to broaden the range of offerings and create new distribution channels. This program examines these profound changes in the financial services industry and identifies their implications for expanding economic opportunity.