Western Europe Archives

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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.

Economics, Policy & Regulation

INDEPENDENCE VOTE MARKS THE RETURN OF GORDON BROWN

NEWSMAKERS | UNITED KINGDOM From Washington to Madrid, there was a collective sigh of relief breathed around Western capitals when Scottish voters decided by a majority of 55% to reject the call for independence and remain part of the United Kingdom. For all those who did not want Scotland to secede, an unlikely hero had emerged in the form of Gordon Brown.

Country Report

MOVING BEYOND THE COMFORT ZONE

COUNTRY REPORT | TURKEY: OVERVIEW Recent presidential elections saw political continuity and investor appetite maintained in Turkey, but high levels of indebtedness and political divisions cause some concern.

Banking

TURKISH BANKS UNDER FIRE

COUNTRY REPORT | TURKEY: BANKING Turkey’s president is not a fan of them, and an increasing tide of regulation and a growing debt profile make for a difficult operating environment for Turkish banks.

Award Winners

BEST INTERNET BANKS 2014 ROUND 1

In this first installment of a two-part series, Global Finance identifies the top online corporate and consumer banks by country and then by region, according to product or service category.

Banking

GETTING MORE MILEAGE FROM SEPA PAYMENTS

TREASURY & CASH MANAGEMENT | PAYMENTS: POST-SEPA The SEPA migration deadline may have passed, but most companies have yet to gain the full benefits offered by the Single Euro Payments Area initiative. Now would be a good time for treasurers to ask how they can get more out of their SEPA investments.

Economics, Policy & Regulation

LONDON’S COLORFUL MAYOR MULLS TORY LEADERSHIP

UNITED KINGDOM With a seminal speech at the beginning of August, London’s larger-than-life mayor, Boris Johnson, positioned himself as a candidate for the future leadership of the Conservative Party.

Economics, Policy & Regulation

SWEDEN: WILL LÖFVEN BE THE NEXT PM?

SWEDEN Known as a credible and pragmatic politician, the leader of Sweden’s Social Democratic party, Stefan Löfven, is gearing up to become the country’s next prime minister.

Banking

PORTUGAL: BACK FROM THE BRINK?

COUNTRY REPORT With strong underpinnings for reform now in place, Portugal is seeing signs of economic improvement. But now that it has increased exports, will greater vulnerability to global trade winds haunt growth?

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

WOULD SCOTTISH INDEPENDENCE PUSH UP PUBLIC BORROWING RATES?

SCOTLAND The outcome of this September’s referendum on Scottish independence remains too close to call.

Banking

ECB GETS TO WORK ON ITS NEW EUROZONE BANK SUPERVISORY ROLE

MILESTONES: EUROPE The ECB grows up as it takes on bank supervisory powers.

Capital Raising & Corporate Finance

EURO SLIPS AS DRAGHI SAYS ECB WILL ACT

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS | FOREIGN EXCHANGE