This paper contributes to the discipline of Information Systems (IS) by illustrating the continuing evolution of IS applications to a single, core business function. Historical developments in IS and the major global treasury activity, foreign exchange trading, have been examined to establish the context. Findings from a seven year research project into the impact of ICT on financial services and the development of a next generation agentbased treasury management system prototype have been applied. Possible future developments in IS applications are explored in terms of the capabilities of emerging technologies to address current treasury challenges.
The implications for practitioners in an increasingly complex, global market are discussed and sustainable research issues, particularly for IS research, identified.