This study report examines the impact of recent changes in commodity markets on traders and TRM software requirements. The report considers the impact of the financial crisis among other factors.

In the spring of 2007, UtiliPoint International, Inc. began a survey of European energy traders and utility companies with the objective of benchmarking and understanding their trading application and IT environment, application portfolio and levels of integration. In some respects, the study was similar to that conducted by UtiliPoint in North America in 2004. The survey did not ask about their ETRM software solution but rather the systems used around it and the levels of integration between them. The current study also looked at the IT architectures and infrastructure that support the broader trading business function.

This report provides a view of the levels of maturity of the different application areas around trading & risk management in Europe. For completeness, data has also been utilized from other UtiliPoint reports including the 2007 Benchmarking of European ETRM Software study, the North American survey referenced above and the 2005 North American Gas Company study.

This important commodityPoint study looks at European CIS/Billing software markets. It includes the results of a survey of software users that reviewed what software was used, what European buyers look for in CIS/Billing software and which vendors are best known and most widely used – among other valuable data.

It also includes a comprehensive review of most European countries (Nordic, Iberian, Central and Eastern Europe) and UtiliPoint’s ranking of each country’s retail markets based on several criteria devised specifically for the study (note: countries with mature retail markets were NOT reviewed including the United Kingdom, Ireland and Netherlands).

This study will be an important starting point for any firm looking at European retail markets and CIS/Billing software requirements.