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Banking

Country Report: Lebanon

DRAGGING A GEOPOLITICAL ANCHOR By Justin Keay There were few bright spots for Lebanon over the past year. However, the banking and real estate sectors showed encouraging signs, and a recovery has begun. Despite their traditional stoicism, ...

Banking

Cover: Reinventing The Swiss Bank

ADAPT TO SURVIVE By Michael Shari A unique banking system long revered as a safe haven for the world’s tax dodgers now faces gut-wrenching transformation in order to endure. For centuries Swiss banks have thrived on absolute ...

Banking

Emerging Markets Roundup: Brazil

BANKS PITCH IN TO HELP BOOST ECONOMIC GROWTH By Antonio Guerrero Brazilian private-sector banks pledge to increase lending this year, according to Finance minister Guido Mantega. Following a meeting with bankers in February, the minister said banks ...

Banking

Emerging Markets Roundup: India

RESERVE BANK OF INDIA PUSHES FOR GROWTH WITH RATE CUT By Aaron Chaze The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) cut interest rates for the first time in nine months on January 30, reducing the repo rate by 25 basis ...

Banking

Emerging Markets Roundup: Middle East

DUBAI SEEKS ROLE AS CAPITAL OF ISLAMIC ECONOMY By Gordon Platt Dubai plans to become the capital of the Islamic economy by setting global standards. In addition to promoting Islamic finance and insurance, the emirate wants to arbitrate ...

Banking

Global Salon: Karen Elliott House

CONFLUENCE OF RISK By Vanessa Drucker In this months Salon, Global Finance sat down with Karen Elliott House, Pulitzer Prizewinning...

Banking

Middle East Investment Banking

SIGNS OF RESILIENCE By Gordon Platt In spite of poor global economic and investment conditions, Middle Eastern investment banking looks set for another solid year in 2013. The outlook for investment banking in the volatile Middle East ...

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 ...

Award Winners

Awards: Trade Finance

EMBRACING THE MODERN ERA By Gordon Platt Global Finance presents the winners of its annual trade finance providers awards, incorporating the results of our first-ever trade finance readers’ survey. The ancient business of financing trade is now ...

Banking

Country Report: Saudi Arabia

RESISTANT TO CHANGE By Gordon Platt Saudi Arabia is working hard—and spending heavily—to diversify its economy and create jobs for its expanding population through a broad-ranging series of reforms. But these reforms are ruffling feathers in some quarters. ...

Banking

Market Focus: Asian Investment Banking

ANOTHER LEAN YEAR By Arthur Clennam Investment banks in Asia are facing a reduced deal pipeline and slashing their fixed-income, currencies and commodities units. But a flurry of small-scale Chinese IPOs in Hong Kong could add cheer to ...

Banking

Milestone: Enforcement Will Only Get Tougher Under New FSA Regime

MILESTONES: UK By Anita Hawser After four years under a shadow, the UK’s Financial Services Authority is once again being held up as a model financial regulator — both for its principles-based approach to reporting and for its ability to ...