Gordon Platt

In our October issue, Global Finance presents its latest annual grading of the world's central bank governors. Here, we present the nine who received an "A" grade in 2017: those from Australia, Honduras, Israel, Lebanon, Morocco, Paraguay, Russia, Taiwan and the United States. 

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Finance raised 17 billion riyals ($4.5 billion) in its first domestic sukuk issuance in late July.

The Chinese central bank’s heavy-handed intervention in the currency markets earlier this year has triggered a decline in trading of the renminbi and a reversal in the rise of the Rmb in international payments.

European exporters are beginning to worry about the impact of a strong euro on their competitiveness in global markets.

The UAE has lined up nearly half a dozen billion dollar IPOs, mainly from state-owned companies, before the record breaking Saudi Aramco listing in 2018 drains liquidity from the market

A new crown prince is in a stronger position to implement the Saudi’s ambitious Vision 2030 program.

In a Q&A, Deutsche Bank's Zafar Aziz says innovation in the depositary receipts industry can free up the flow of capital across borders.

The CEO of the Saudi stock exchange talks to Global Finance about reforms that are opening the market to foreign investors ahead of Saudi Aramco's listing in 2018.

How Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait and Qatar are adjusting to new oil-market realities.

With high per-capita incomes and strong mobile use, the GCC is poised for a surge in online shopping. Still, air-conditioned malls retain their allure.

The longer Qatar’s standoff from its Arab neighbors drags on, the worse the damage will be. 

GCC economies are still a relative haven for foreign investors and a favored destination for direct investment, despite the drag of low oil prices.

Former OneWest Bank CEO Joseph Otting is expected to play a key role in carrying out President Trump’s plan to deregulate financial services.

This year's winners are finding ways to cope with stricter regulations and rising interest rates.   

Mergers and acquisitions in retail are ramping up as bricks-and-mortar chains cope with changing consumer habits. An added benefit: getting more data on shoppers.

China's inclusion into MSCI's global benchmark equity index next year could have far-reaching ripple effects both inside and outside of the country.

Swaps and other derivatives, blamed by some for causing the global financial crisis, have returned in a big but deceptive way. 

​ Professor Michael Greenberger testifying, in 2010, at a Congressional inquiry into the causes of the 2008 financial crisis. The 1980s ushered in an era of exotic financial products that were hailed for fostering new ways to manage risk.

Global Finance: What's new about FiREapps for Cash Flow? Wolfgang Koester: FiREapps for Cash Flow revolutionizes the cash-flow exposure management process. 

Do you have five milliseconds? Innovation has been fast and furious in the foreign-exchange market in the past year. 

Each advance in technology opens doors for new approaches and ideas. This year’s innovators in finance show the range of problems being tackled.

US companies flocked to Europe to issue bonds at low interest rates in May, after centrist Emmanuel Macron’s landslide victory in the French presidential election lowered perceived political risk in the European Union. 

Paul Chan Hong Kong financial secretary Eligible overseas investors will gain access for the first time to mainland China’s massive interbank bond market through a planned hookup with Hong Kong, known as Bond Connect. 

For the US Federal Reserve to diminish its balance sheet, it must take care not to spook the markets.   

Bank of America grew earnings 16% last year and plans further expansions, says chairman and CEO Brian Moynihan.

Venezuela’s state-owned oil company is struggling to make bond payments, and could put US oil company Citgo up for sale to Russia’s Rosneft.  

Sim Tshabalala, joint group chief executive of Standard Bank, explains how the continent’s biggest bank will benefit from Africa’s coming renewal.

Global Finance names the winners of its 24th annual awards for the World’s Best Banks, by region and by country

Investors snapped up Saudi Arabia’s debut international sukuk, a type of Islamic financing gaining popularity worldwide.

CEO Nemeh Sabbagh talks to Global Finance about how Arab Bank combines careful management with innovation in a region facing a challenging environment.

Nomu, a new Saudi equity market, will have lighter listing requirements than Tadawul, deepening the Saudi capital market with an alternative platform.

Global Finance Magazine’s 2017 rankings of the best banks in the Middle East. 

Global Finance Magazine’s 2017 rankings of the best banks in Africa. 

Banks across North America are doing what they are supposed to do. They are lending more money and making more money. 

Saudi Arabia forges closer trade and economic ties with China as part of its Vision 2030 plan to diversify its economy.   

China’s huge bond market has only recently been tapped by foreign firms—through Panda Bonds, which soared last year. 

The real estate investment market in the Middle East is exhibiting a resurgence and signs of maturity, with real estate investment trusts growing in popularity as an alternative source of capital. 

Sovereigns continue to lead debt issuance in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, with further major issuances planned for this year, as countries look to plug deficits.

Three women advancing to the top levels of the Saudi Arabian finance sector show the kingdom making progress in improving work opportunities for women.

Ratified by more than 110 of 164 member countries, the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) has gone into force, launching “a new phase for trade facilitation reforms all over the world,” according to the WTO.

McDonald’s agreed to sell 80% control of its restaurants in China and Hong Kong for 20 years to state-owned conglomerate Citic and the Carlyle Group, a private equity firm.

Global Finance announces our picks for the world's Best Trade Finance Providers for 2017, including both bank and non-bank financial institutions. 

Donald Trump's policy plans put him in conflict with traditional Republicans in Congress and the states--in this case, his plans to impost tariffs to shape trade. 

Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF), which is expected to exceed $2 trillion in 2018, is slated to play a major role in diversifying the Saudi economy, with big investments in a technology, healthcare and other sectors. 

The desert kingdom's bold plans to boost the private sector and diversify away from oil include a little more government spending this year. 

With the worst of its financial pressures behind it, Saudi Arabia is forging ahead with its ambitious Vision 2030 development plan to diversify away from oil dependency and stimulate demand. 

Global Finance's annual awards honor the corporations savviest in managing foreign exchange issues. 

The dollar’s mid-December surge to a 14-year high is pressuring currencies pegged to the greenback, while making it more difficult for emerging markets countries with weakening currencies to repay increasingly expensive, dollar-denominated debt. 

Interview with Sulaiman Al-Marzouq, head of treasury at National Bank of Kuwait, about changes in Gulf economies and NBK’s role in development.

Global Finance publishes its annual list of the top foreign exchange providers in the world.