Luca Ventura, Author at Global Finance Magazine

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Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

Newsmakers: Economic Reformer Tackles Domestic Pressures

NEWSMAKERS: CHINA By Luca Ventura As China’s economy faces its slowest growth in more than a decade, the focus turns to the new Finance minister, Lou Jiwei. Lou, 63, has arguably the highest international profile among prime minister ...

Banking

Milestone: The World’S Oldest Surviving Bank Faces A Bleak Future

MILESTONE: ITALY By Luca Ventura The oldest bank in the world, Tuscany’s Monte dei Paschi di Siena, came close to ending its 540-year history late in January, when it revealed losses of up to €750 million ($1 billion) caused ...

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

Milestone: Basel III Liquidity Reprieve Welcomed By Most

MILESTONESGLOBAL By Luca Ventura “For the first time in regulatory history, we have a truly global minimum standard for bank liquidity,” announced the head of the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision, Bank of England governor Mervyn King, during a ...

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

Lagarde Changes Tack On Use Of Capital Controls

MILESTONES: IMF By Luca Ventura “Temporary capital controls might prove useful,” Christine Lagarde said to the audience gathered at the Malaysian Economic Association in Kuala Lumpur in November. Lagarde at the IMF takes a marked departure on cross-border ...

Emerging & Frontier Markets

Veteran Indian Finance Minister Back In The Finance Seat

NEWSMAKERS: INDIA By Luca Ventura Often labeled arrogant and brusque, India's finance minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, is not the most popular politician within his own Congress Party and not much in the public eye. Chidambaram's new ministerial appointment ...

Economics, Policy & Regulation

Former FDIC Head Launches Her Latest Crusade

NEWSMAKERS: UNITED STATES By Luca Ventura Sheila Bair is determined to turn up the heat on regulators and accelerate financial reforms. Bair: protecting the US economy from the next crisis Photo Credit : ALBERT H. TEICH/ Shutterstock.com ...

News

Profumo Starts With A Splash At Monte Dei Paschi

NEWSMAKERS: ITALY By Luca Ventura When Tuscan bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena appointed the charismatic Alessandro Profumo as its new chairman in late April, the news made headlines around the world. Profumo is ready for the challenge ...

News

The Fate Of Europe In The Balance

NEWSMAKERS: FRANCE By Luca Ventura French president-elect François Hollande is a flag-bearer for adding growth incentives to a European fiscal agreement, rather than just doling out austerity measures. Hollande elated at defeating Sarkozy Photo Credit : SKPHOTOGRAPHY / Shutterstock.com ...

News

Johnsen Makes Few Friends With Norwegian Banking Rule Proposals

NEWSMAKERS: NORWAY By Luca Ventura A former bank teller, Norway’s finance minister Sigbjørn Johnsen is not too concerned about upsetting some of his erstwhile bank employers. Johnsen takes on Norway’s banks again Photo Credit : REUTERS/SCANPIX “It ...

News

Thorsten Heins Hits First Stumbling Block At RIM

NEWSMAKERS: CANADA By Luca Ventura On March 29, telecoms company Research In Motion posted its first loss in seven years. Tough road ahead for RIM chief Thorsten Heins Photo Credit : REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ It was not what shareholders had ...

News

Former PM Stands Trial As Outlook Improves For Iceland

NEWSMAKERS: ICELAND By Luca Ventura As his trial commenced in March in Reykjavik, Geir Haarde, the former prime minister of Iceland, was the first world leader to face criminal charges over the 2008 financial crisis. Haarde, 60, could serve up ...

News

Nigerian Candidate Breaks The World Bank Mold

NEWSMAKERS: GLOBAL By Luca Ventura When Robert Zoellick announced in February that he would leave the World Bank in June, at the expiration of his five-year term as president, initial speculation over his possible successor revolved around the usual ...