Contract Awarded for Web-based Brokerage System

Parity Group PLC
1 March 2000


 Parity appointed to develop new web-based brokerage system for comdirect ltd,
                a subsidiary of Europe's leading on-line broker

Parity Solutions, part of Parity Group plc, the international IT consultancy,
has been appointed by comdirect ltd, a subsidiary of Europe's leading on-line
broker comdirect bank AG, to develop its new web-based on-line stock brokerage
system in the UK.  The contract is worth approximately £700,000 for the
initial phase.

Parity's role is to appoint and manage a number of suppliers to develop the
components of the new system and to integrate them into a single IT
infrastructure to support the business.

The new system will enable direct share dealing over the web, supported by
front and back office systems handling everything from customer relationship
management to transaction clearing and settlement.

Parity won the contract against strong competition because of its ability to
offer a complete end-to-end e-business solution, encompassing all aspects of
the project. The award represents the latest fruit of Parity's e-business
technology and application outsourcing strategy. Parity believes these areas
will become a major part of the global IT services market over the next five
years.

comdirect bank AG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Commerzbank AG, was founded in
1995 and is Europe's leading on-line bank and stockbroker, with offices in
France, Italy and Spain in addition to its native Germany. The company already
has over 300,000 customers and, with the low transaction costs on the internet
and a rapidly growing online population, further rapid growth is anticipated.
comdirect chose the UK as the site of the new venture because of its high
level of share ownership, the growing interest in savings and investment, and
the escalating interest in internet access. The move represents comdirect's
first step in developing its presence in the UK, from its new offices in
London Docklands.

Commenting on the award, Keith Jennings, Managing Director of Parity
Solutions, said:

'This is a exciting contract for Parity which further strengthens our presence
in the end-to-end e-business solutions marketplace. The pace of comdirect's
development has been most impressive and we are delighted to be playing an
integral part in establishing their new service in the UK'.

John Glendinning. Managing Director for comdirect ltd, added:

'This new venture represents an important strategic move for the comdirect
group, in the most exciting and challenging financial marketplace in the
world. Parity's experience in e-commerce and a strong focus on end-to-end
management were crucial factors in their selection, in what is a highly
demanding and complex project.'

Parity's ability to offer end-to-end e-business solutions means that its
consultants are able to provide services covering every aspect of the project,
from review and analysis of business processes, to IT strategy, technical
infrastructure, systems integration, web design and implementation, and
training.



For further information, contact:
Philip Swinstead, Executive Chairman, Parity Group plc      Tel: [phone]
Keith Jennings, Managing Director, Parity Solutions         Tel: [phone]
John Glendinning, Managing Director, comdirect ltd          Tel :[phone]


Note to Editors:

Parity Solutions is part of Parity Group plc, the international IT consultancy
group with over 40 offices in the UK, mainland Europe and the USA.  The Group
is a FTSE 350 company listed on the London Stock Exchange. In the last year
Parity Solutions has become a leading supplier of e-business solutions, a
position reinforced recently with the acquisitions of Interactive
Developments, TMS and Comtec. Last month, Parity also announced a new
partnership with Infobank to develop an on-line procurement system for the
Utilities sector. This partnership represents Parity's first move into
networked Application Services, a high growth market area driven by the
internet.


comdirect bank AG ('comdirect bank') was established in Germany in 1994 by
Commerzbank AG to provide direct banking to the domestic retail marketplace.
comdirect bank has been extremely successful and currently has over 300,000
customers, as well as one of the most heavily visited German internet sites.
In particular, comdirect bank has seen enormous growth in the number of retail
customers buying and selling shares through the internet.