December 2016

From Occupy Wall Street and the Arab Spring to surprising victories for Brexit and Trump, citizens around the globe are pushing back against their leaders’ policy choices.

The world’s best private banks, as determined by Global Finance, are finding ways to recast their businesses for the future. 

Global Finance readers gathered in London to discuss the exciting—and disruptive—changes being wrought to the industry by new technology. 

The president elect’s protectionist views on international trade suggest emerging markets will bear the brunt of radical changes in policy—assuming his rhetoric becomes reality. 

Paolo Sironi, a global thought leader in wealth management and investment analytics with IBM, talks about robots, algorithms and making personal finance more like a game.

Israel's economy depends on foreign trade, and that presents a challenge under current conditions. Policymakers remain focused on high-tech while keeping an eye on global political developments. 

Cyprus offers some good news in the eastern Mediterranean, where good news has been scarce of late. 

Investors face economic uncertainty and jihadist threats, but the government has plans to attract more investment from foreign firms. 

Qatar has begun construction of a new financial city which aims to be the country’s Wall Street or Canary Wharf.

Oil-rich Qatar is spending heavily on infrastructure, even as it goes deeper into debt, claiming the massive spending is aimed at creating a knowledge-based economy. 

Qatar plans to spend more than $200 billion on infrastructure projects, including roads, bridges, railways, and ports, and has loosened guest worker sponsor requirements to facilitate recruitment.

Justin Trudeau's government wants to boost infrastructure spending, but without using tax dollars, so it's establishing a bank to attract private money. 

According the World Bank Group’s Ease of Doing Business Index for 2017, a record-breaking 137 nations out of 190 have implemented key reforms to deregulate their economies.

With Trump at the helm in the US, Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte's anti-American rhetoric may backfire. 

After two inconclusive elections and 10 months without a fully functioning government, Spain has formed an coalition administration, but without a majority, action will be difficult. 

As new technologies enable automation of more complex treasury functions, CFOs increasingly seek to "right-size" outsourcing. 

Given that China’s growth is slowing, the decision to replace Finance minister Lou Jiwei with Xiao Jie is controversial—yet not surprising. 

After two years of a political vacuum, Lebanon finally elected Michel Aoun president. Under the constitution, however, the head of state has little power, and his election sparks little hope. 

The scandal that led to the president's impeachment implicates some of South Korea's best-known conglomerates. 

Banks, tech firms and even universities are partnering to aid home-grown Egyptian fintechs. 

Trump's tax plans are expected to lighten corporate taxes, adding to profits of beleaguered US companies. 

Private-sector entities are getting involved in providing aid, education and even jobs to refugees in order to mitigate the crisis. 

The Egyptian pound was floated this fall, and quickly lost half its value. But the reform is part of restructuring Egypt's economy to encourage foreign investment. 

After an absence from financial markets, special-purpose acquisition companies, or SPACs, have recently returned--and are popping up in new markets around the world. 

With alternative lending on the rise, Brazil seeks to establish new and reliable sources of financial information.

The Trump administration’s nascent economic policies will likely result in a strong dollar and rising interest rates. 

Western European banks and institutions are expanding financing for small and medium-sized companies in Turkey. 

Despite political turmoil in the wake of last summer’s coup attempt, in the business world it’s business as usual, according to executives at multinationals.