Celent Communications estimates spending by the top financial institutions worldwide on Internet Brokerage solutions to reach US$11 billion by 2005

In a new report entitled Celent Communications analyzes and ranks ten of the leading Internet brokerage solutions on the market. The 44-page report provides an in-depth analysis of each vendor solution and compares the offerings in terms of customization, scalability, range of instruments and advanced tools supported, back-office connectivity, level of customer support, as well as other criteria.

Vendors to Watch: digiTRADE, Brokat/AFS, Taho Commerce

"For the last six to twelve months, the online brokerage industry has for the first time experienced drastic downturn in terms of trading volume", notes Sang Lee, co-author of the report. "However, the online brokerage market is far from self-destructing. While a pure Internet-based brokerage model is no longer acceptable to mainstream investors, most retail clients will continue to utilize online brokerage services in conjunction with investment guidance from a human advisor or broker, especially in times of market volatility."

According to Isabella Fonseca, co-author of the report, " The focus of features and functionality of online brokerage solutions have also changed drastically with market demand in the past year. Today, financial institutions are no longer emphasizing the look and feel of the Web front-end, but are increasing their attention to multi-channel integration, back-office connectivity, efficient customer support, and the ability to integrate non-brokerage services to offer a full suite of applications."

A Table of Contents for this report is available online.

of Celent Communication's Retail Securities & Investments research service can download the report electronically by clicking on the icon to the left.