Anita Hawser

Presenting the World’s Best Trade & Supply Chain Finance Awards for 2015.

Cash is still king, and unlocking trapped cash or investing it for higher yield remains one of the major preoccupations of most corporate treasurers.

Market Report | Global Islamic Finance
Despite lower volumes in 2013, sukuk issuance is on track for a record year.

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

Global Finance unveils its annual list of the  best banks globally, regionally and by country. The banking industry remains under stress, but there are bright spots.

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

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

Inside Sibos | Review
At this year's event held in Boston, there seemed to be a greater sense of urgency among the banks about the need for change.

UNITED STATES
In its 2013 report to Congress, the Export-Import Bank of the United States says that its “overriding mission is to create and sustain American jobs by supporting US exports.” But that very mission is under threat, with House Financial Services Committee chairman Jeb Hensarling, among others, seeking to abolish the bank.

The need for financing for supply-side firms continues to grow—particularly in emerging and frontier markets. More companies are looking to SCF to fill this gap.

ANNUAL AWARDS: BEST ISLAMIC FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS 2014
Islamic finance is going mainstream, with new banks opening and new regulatory endeavors under way in this dynamic global mar

Malaysia’s strong current account and FX reserves will safeguard it against external shocks, but high leverage and simmering ethnic tensions remain weak points.

Given the spate of recent fines by UK and US regulators against banks for failure to comply with anti-money laundering regulations, it’s worth exploring the question of why the banks keep coming up short. The most recent headline was the ...

NEWSMAKERS By Anita Hawser One woman who worked hard to ensure that the wheels of global trade kept turning, even in the midst of the global financial crisis, was Bonnie Galat, global head of business development for trade and supply ...

GOLD STANDARD By Rebecca Brace and Anita Hawser Global Finance presents the winners of its annual Best Treasury & Cash Management Providers awards. Global multinational corporates may have come out of the 2008 global financial crisis better off than the ...

STAR PERFORMERS By Anita Hawser Over the past six years transaction banking has been one of the best performers in an otherwise lackluster banking sector. Even in the midst of a global financial crisis, suppliers and salaries still need to ...

SPECIAL REPORT   By Anita Hawser   To be or not to be? Compliant, that is. Apparently, the answer is it doesn’t matter—at least not yet. Just a few weeks before the February 1 SEPA deadline came to pass, the ...

SPECIAL REPORT: ISLAMIC TRADE FINANCE By Anita Hawser Islamic trade finance is of increasing interest, but whether it will be successful depends on market forces. “Shariah-compliant trade finance is an ancient tradition with a long history of supporting economic activity ...

TECHNOLOGY IS THE TRUMP CARD   By Jonathan Gregson, Antonio Guerrero, Anita Hawser, Gordon Platt and Michael Shari   Global Finance unveils its annual list of the best banks globally, regionally and by country. The winners have all demonstrated dedication ...

‘A’ FOR EFFORT, ‘B-’ FOR RESULTS   By Antonio Guerrero, Anita Hawser and Gordon Platt   Global Finance presents its annual report on the performance of the world’s central bank governors.   There are a lot of new faces among ...

"It's almost as if the trade finance industry hasn't read the newspapers," says Dan Roberts. Roberts, global head of trade finance at Barclays, is talking about what some in the industry describe as an unsustainable situation in trade finance. Prices ...

REGIONAL SUPERSECTION — SEEKING A NEW MODEL   By Anita Hawser   As the infrastructure boom continues, it may be time for GCC countries to reevaluate how they select and fund new projects.   “Abu Dhabi cannot rely solely on ...

Asia is often portrayed as a land of milk and honey, where liquidity and capital flow freely, and high levels of economic growth continue to attract foreign investors. But not all countries in Asia it seems are reaping the benefits ...

UNLOCKING HIDDEN POTENTIAL By Anita Hawser and Paula L. Green   Global Finance presents the winners of its annual awards for the Best Supply Chain Finance Providers globally and by region.   Five years have passed since the global financial ...

By Anita Hawser and Paula L. Green   NORTH AMERICA Citi In North America, Citi has closely aligned itself with government efforts to leverage supply chain finance as a means of funneling much-needed working capital to SMEs. It is a ...

By Anita Hawser and Paula L. Green   BEST SUPPLY-CHAIN FINANCE PROVIDER—BANK Citi Some of of the main prerequisites for a bank to be able to support supply-chain finance programs in different countries are its knowledge of local market regulations ...

World’s Best Islamic Financial Institutions 2013: Country Winners Algeria Banque Al Baraka D’Algérie Bahrain Al Baraka Islamic Bank Bahrain Bangladesh Islamic Bank Bangladesh Brunei Darussalam Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam Egypt Faisal Islamic Bank of Egypt Indonesia Bank Muamalat Indonesia Jordan ...

ISLAMIC FINANCE DEAL OF THE YEAR: Jebel Ali Free Zone Islamic Financing Facility And Sukuk   $1.2 BILLION SYNDICATED ISLAMIC FINANCING FACILITY: Mandated lead arrangers and joint bookrunners Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Citi, Dubai Islamic Bank, Emirates NBD, National Bank ...

A DEFINING MOMENT   By Anita Hawser   Global Finance presents the winners of its awards for the World’s Best Islamic Financial Insititutions 2013.   With Islamic banking assets predicted to pass the $1.1 trillion mark in 2012 and Islamic ...

World’s Best Islamic Financial Institutions 2013: Regional Winners Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Al Rajhi Bank Non-GCC Middle East/Africa Al Baraka Bank Asia Maybank Islamic Berhad Europe Bank of London and the Middle East GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL Al Rajhi Bank According ...

  World’s Best Islamic Financial Institutions: Global Winners Best Sukuk Bank HSBC Best Islamic Retail Bank Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank Best Islamic Investment Bank Samba Best Takaful (Insurance) Provider Etiqa Takaful Berhad Best Asset Management Company CIMB Principal Islamic Asset Management ...

MILESTONES: EUROPE   By Anita Hawser   Billed as a major blow to the UK’s status as a global financial services hub, the European Parliament and council sent a clear message in February about bank bonuses, reaching an agreement that bankers’ bonuses ...

A FORK IN THE ROAD   Moderated by Anita Hawser   Key figures from the world of European subcustody discuss how regulation is affecting their business and changing relationships between global custodians and their network of subcustodians.   Global Finance ...

SHARING RISK     By Anita Hawser Takaful insurance markets are growing steadily in the Gulf, but the regulatory framework is still developing in some countries.   Taking out car, property or life insurance is second nature in the West, ...

SYSTEMS AND SERVICES PROVIDERS   By Anita Hawser and Rebecca Brace   BEST TREASURY MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS AND SERVICES PROVIDERS Accounts Payable Services BNY Mellon SourceNet Accounts Receivable Services SunGard AvantGard Receivables Electronic Invoice Presentment and Payment Services Basware Payroll Services ...

REGIONAL WINNERS   By Anita Hawser and Rebecca Brace   BEST TREASURY & CASH MANAGEMENT PROVIDERS 2013: REGIONAL WINNERS Best Overall Bank for Cash Management   North America Bank of America Merrill Lynch Latin America Citi Western Europe Deutsche Bank ...

GLOBAL WINNERS   By Anita Hawser and Rebecca Brace   BEST TREASURY & CASH MANAGEMENT PROVIDERS 2013: GLOBAL WINNERS Best Overall Bank for Cash Management Citi Best White Label System Provider BNY Mellon   BEST OVERALL BANK FOR CASH MANAGEMENT ...

BEST IN SHOW   By Anita Hawser and Rebecca Brace   Global Finance presents the winners of its Treasury & Cash Management Providers Awards 2013. This year, we have expanded our evaluation process to include a survey of our corporate ...

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 ...

FLYING BLIND   By Anita Hawser   Despite new entrants joining the market, the equity derivatives business saw a marked slowdown over the past year, and some well-established firms are now scaling back their operations.   After the global financial ...

MILESTONES: UNITED ARAB EMIRATES   By Anita Hawser   Dubai Mercantile Exchange is on a mission: It wants to take up more space on the screens of futures traders, according to new CEO Christopher Fix, who once sat on the ...

MILESTONES: EU   By Anita Hawser   The proposed Tobin Tax, or financial transaction tax (FTT), is a political hot potato that is being kicked around by various European countries in the wake of the global financial crisis as a means ...

GRAND VISIONS   By Anita Hawser   Qatar has used its oil and gas wealth to finance its global ambitions. But its economy remains vulnerable to ever-present geopolitical tensions.   For a small country, Qatar certainly punches above its weight ...

COMING OF AGE   By Anit a Hawser   Islamic finance is starting to spread within the countries of North Africa with high Muslim concentrations.   Any discussion of Islamic finance usually includes Islamic financial hubs such as Malaysia or ...

MILESTONES: UK   By Anita Hawser   The ongoing controversy surrounding Libor, the global benchmark interest rate used for pricing financial contracts, has sparked a wider debate about the merits of using alternative reference rates.   The Bank of England ...

By Gordon Platt, Antonio Guerrero and Anita Hawser The Americas ARGENTINA Mercedes Marcó del Pont Grade: D Marcó del Pont has focused much of her efforts over the past year on imposing draconian foreign exchange restrictions. Controls began after last ...

By Gordon Platt, Antonio Guerrero and Anita Hawser ASIA-PACIFIC AUSTRALIA Glenn Stevens Grade: A Stevens has his hands full managing an economy with booming mining and financial sectors and weakness elsewhere. So far, he has managed to keep the overall ...

By Gordon Platt, Antonio Guerrero and Anita Hawser EUROPE BELARUS Nadezhda Ermakova Grade: C Ermakova assumed the chairmanship of the central bank in August 2011 under somewhat controversial circumstances. Her predecessor, Petr Prokopovich, retired against a backdrop of spiraling inflation ...

By Gordon Platt, Antonio Guerrero and Anita Hawser MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA ALGERIA Mohammed Laksaci Grade: C The central bank of Algeria, Africa’s second-largest oil producer, has kept its discount rate at 4% for the past few years to encourage ...

GUNNING FOR GROWTH   By Gordon Platt, Antonio Guerrero and Anita Hawser   Global Finance presents its annual report on the performance of the world’s central bank governors.   Central banks of most of the major global economies are pulling ...