News & Features Archive

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Editor's Letter

THE IMF OLYMPICS

Dear Reader The annual meetings in Washington, D.C., of the IMF and the World Bank afford a unique mix of events where economic forecasts are made, meetings held, official statements delivered, and award ceremonies (including Global Finance's Best Banks) conducted.

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

AFRICA’S CONSUMER BOOM

AFRICA 2014 | INTRA-AFRICA TRADE The rise of the African consumer market is providing an opportunity for domestic companies to increase their footprint across the region.

Banking

BANK INTRODUCES FINGER VEIN BIOMETRICS TO DETER FRAUDSTERS

MILESTONES | UNITED KINGDOM Technology derived from medical scanning is being used by a UK bank in the fight against cybercrime and identity fraud.

Award Winners

BEST IN CLASS

ANNUAL SURVEY | WORLD’S BEST BANKS A selection of winners from Global Finance’s awards program over the past year.

Banking

BOTÍN: GROOMED FOR SUCCESS

NEWSMAKERS | SPAIN Less than 24 hours after the sudden death, in September, of her father Emilio Botín, widely recognized as one of the shrewdest, most successful bankers in modern history, Ana Patricia Botín was unanimously named by the board to take the helm of Banco Santander, an institution that has been under the control of her family for three generations.

Banking

BRIDGING THE CHASM

MARKET REPORT | ISLAMIC TRADE FINANCE Offering inventory financing to commodity traders brings much-needed liquidity to the Islamic trade finance market.

Economics, Policy & Regulation

CEMENTING REGIONAL TIES

AFRICA 2014 | UNITY Africa’s dream of greater economic unity is gradually becoming a reality, with plans to establish a free-trade area spanning eastern and southern African countries well under way. Yet it could take time for the associated economic and trading benefits to play out.

Awards

CENTRAL BANKER REPORT CARDS 2014

Global Finance presents its annual report on the performance of the world’s central bank governors.

Emerging & Frontier Markets

DESTINATION: AFRICA

AFRICA 2014 | TOURISM SECTOR Despite setbacks, Africa’s tourism industry is an increasing driver of economic development across the continent.

Banking

ELEVENTH-HOUR RESCUE FOR SHADOW-BANKING PRODUCT

MILESTONES | CHINA China Huarong Asset Management, a bad bank set up during the credit bust of the 1990s, has turned out to be the mystery investor that bailed out shadow-banking product Credit Equals Gold No. 1.

Economics, Policy & Regulation

ELUMELU RETURNS TO UBA TO CONSOLIDATE AFRICA GAINS

NEWSMAKERS | POLAND Tony Elumelu, former managing director and CEO of United Bank for Africa, returned to the bank in late August as chairman, following his appointment by the shareholders.

Emerging & Frontier Markets

EMERGING MARKETS BRACE FOR FED TIGHTENING

CAPITAL MARKETS | FOREIGN EXCHANGE As the Federal Reserve winds down its bond-buying program and prepares to raise rates, analysts are debating the likelihood of a repeat of last year’s “taper tantrum”—when the mere hint of a gradual end to quantitative easing in the US caused huge disruptions to emerging markets (EMs).