As we work through the first quarter of 2004, it seems that the customer is once again number one for the financial services sector.

Banks are investing in programmes to rejuvenate high street branches, improve online offerings and advance customer relationship management.

It's also clear that the need for innovation is growing; new research highlights how chief information officers are turning their attention away from the cost-cutting concerns of the past few years and embracing strategies that support innovation and growth.

This Computing Special Report investigates what's on the chief information officers' agenda for the next two years, and discusses two of their biggest challenges: regulatory compliance and maintaining customer trust.