Global Economy. The economic and financial crisis has led to a major slowdown in global economic growth. Economic research institutes as well as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are predicting that in 2009 the global economy will in fact show negative growth for the first time in decades. The U.S., Japan and many European states are already in recession.

Developments in the Banking and Retail Industries. In both retail banking and the retail industry, the present economic crisis is creating hesitation to invest, although increasingly tough competition, especially in terms of price, means that both sectors remain interested in systems with the potential to reduce their costs. As a result, demand is rising for concepts involving process automation and optimization, for example, or the standardization of system platforms, while companies continue to invest in streamlining measures.