February 2018

The dominance of media-technology platforms that control information has roused regulators around the world. New laws are coming into effect, with more on the way. 

On May 25 this year, the adoption of Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is set to become a watershed moment in privacy history: EU citizens gain new rights to view, limit and delete data that businesses from around ...

Supply-chain finance is primed for a leap in productivity, if it can put the theoretical benefits of blockchain to work in practical applications.

From Bigger Yields To Better Yields: Lively competition from strong and agile smaller banks is driving big trade-finance providers to focus on profitability rather than market share.

What does it take to excel at trade finance on a regional or global scale?

Each of the champions has a unique story to tell.

  GLOBAL WINNERS Best Bank for Trade Finance BNP Paribas Best Trade Finance Infrastructure Initiative CCRManager Best Bank for Commodity Finance Rabobank Best Trade Document Management  BNY Mellon Best Trade Credit Insurance Provider  Euler Hermes Best Bank for Export Finance ...

Lisa Lansdowne-Higgins, vice president of business deposits and treasury solutions, personal and commercial banking at RBC, discusses changes in innovation and free trade. 

Chris Laws, global head of product development, compliance and supply solutions for Dun & Bradstreet, explains how new technologies are providing ever deeper analysis to deliver reputational and financial risk mitigation

Trade and supply chain finance’s most notable innovators share their successes and secrets.

Bart van Ark, chief economist at The Conference Board, visited Global Finance to discuss the state of the global economy and the outlook for 2018 and beyond.

Cash-rich Kuwait, bolstered by a healthy banking sector, is taking steps to reduce dependence on petroleum and motivate entrepreneurs.

The failure of UN negotiations aside, 2017 was a positive year of consolidation and growth for the Cypriot economy.

As the Mediterranean island nation's economy has stabilized, so too have its banks.

Al Ahli Bank of Kuwait’s CEO, Michel Accad, opens up about his country’s economic role in the Arab world and why the Gulf nation might never achieve all its lofty aspirations.

Salah Al-Fulaij, CEO of NBK-Kuwait, shares thoughts with Global Finance about competition, Kuwait’s growth prospects and the pressures of global regulation.

FTSE announced Kuwait’s forthcoming addition to the Secondary Emerging Markets list last September. What’s happened since?

The Saudi kingdom seems to be on a path of radical change, broadening options for women and opening to new sectors, but a ruling-family schism could derail the effort.

Rania Nashar, CEO of Samba Financial Group, is the first female CEO of a listed commercial bank in Saudi Arabia. She talks about modernization in the kingdom and at the bank, as well as Samba’s role in supporting the reinvention of the national economy.

According to a Cambridge Econometrics report a “hard Brexit,” in which the country would leave both the EU customs union and the single market, could cost the UK almost half a million jobs and about $64.7 billion in investment by 2030.

Countries like Algeria, Morocco, Bolivia, Ecuador, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal and Bangladesh have all issued bans—or at least begun the process—on bitcoin and other alternative currencies, in order to stamp out tax evasion and irresponsible trading.

Just two of several programs over the past two years have attracted $45 million from local and foreign private inerests and created at least 8,000 jobs.

The situation came to a head late last year when the Iran government proposed an austere budget for 2018. Subsidies on basic goods and services for the poor were subject to proposed cuts, as fuel prices were set to rise by as much as 50%.

Green-bond issuances have been growing, even if there’s no precise definition of what a “green bond” is.

With the Nestle acquisition, Ferrero has now become the third-largest confectionary company in the United States.

The UK’s decision to leave the EU and the dwindling strength of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who saw her party diminished in Germany’s recent federal elections, have given Macron a rare chance to bolster French influence.

South Korea’s new overtures to Kim Jong II are part of a broader regional diplomatic initiative. Moon visited China, a North Korean ally and key trading partner, in December 2017, and called for better South Korea-China relations.

Longtime senior executives Greg Abel and Ajit Jain were promoted to vice chairman on January 10 and joined Berkshire’s board of directors. The announcement might suggest that Abel and Jain, alone or together, might lead the company in the near future.

Asset valuation is one of a chief financial officer’s core functions. CFOs are regularly asked about the value of a company’s shares, assets and subsidiaries, as well as that of companies and assets targeted for potential acquisition. Yet increasingly, companies ...

  Apple says it will make a “direct contribution” to the US economy of $350 billion in the next five years, creating more than 20,000 new jobs. The iPhone maker did not say, however, how much of that spending would ...

  The dollar tumbled to a three-year, trade-weighted low in January, even as the 10-year US Treasury note yield rose above 2.6% for the first time since 2014. This drop confounded analysts, who forecasted a stronger dollar based on expectations ...

Last year was a record year for Middle East and North African (MENA) start-ups, with 260 deals attracting $410 million in investment, according to a report by Magnitt, a regional network for entrepreneurs and investors. The United Arab Emirates attracted ...

Japanese life insurance companies are turning to the project finance market in a bid to achieve higher yields.   The move comes as Japan’s ultra-loose monetary policy—dubbed “Abenomics” after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe—has resulted in a paucity of available ...

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government decided to sell a 49% stake in debt-laden state-run carrier Air India. The government may explore increasing the stake to 51%, with control of Air India possibly granted to a foreign airline, if official ...

Many small, fast-growing start-ups aspire to become a unicorn—a private company, usually in the technology space, with a valuation of more than $1 billion. Unicorns are mostly associated with tech hubs like Silicon Valley. But they’re slowly part of a ...

Despite Brexit, London has managed to hang onto its status as Europe’s leading fintech hub, but Amsterdam is sneaking up behind. 

Corporate spinoffs and spinouts are booming as M&A fever and the long equity bull market fuel an appetite for deals. 

Consumers have embraced digital technology to improve their lives. Now industry must figure out how digital tools can improve productivity.

Yuan Yulai, CEO of machine-based financial advisor Licaimofang, speaks about the coming dominance of robo-advisors in China’s wealth-management market.

Yihan Fang, CEO of Yirendai, a subsidiary of asset manager CreditEase, speaks about the growing sophistication in China’s wealth management.