This year's lecture considers the role of IT in the past, present and future of the current economic situation. It presents the opportunity to identify and discuss the challenges to IT in the finance sector and possible solutions. In the midst of a recession and global financial crisis, the lecture discusses whether IT had a role to play in the downfall of the economy and looks into new and emerging IT organisational structures, policies and systems. Questions that arise include: what effects did IT have upon the development of the global economic downturn? Lessons learned include: why was IT unable to prevent, or even detect the recession? Future requirements of IT in the finance sector include both regulation and reviews of excess and risk. Also discussed are: protecting the consumer (measures IT should take in the modern organisation); and moving forward (funding and leading change - trends to simplified systems and innovation).The lecture contains information from inside the financial sector.