Dedicated to the consideration of advanced I.T. technologies and their financial applications, this volume contains contributions from an international group of system developers and managers from academia, the financial industry and their suppliers: all actively involved in the development and practical introduction of these technologies into banking and financial organisations. Concentrating on real experience and present needs, rather than theoretical possibilities or limited prototype applications, it is hoped the publication will give a better insight into advanced I.T. practice and potential as it currently exists and motivate today's developers and researchers. In addition to the discussion of a wide range of technologies and approaches to ensure adaptivity, three other major topics are explored in the book: neural networks, classical software engineering techniques and rule-based systems.