January 2017

​ The “digital revolution” has been famously disruptive in retail, but in banking it seems finance firms are seeking more cooperation with technology. 

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin was the first working example of a blockchain, or distributed ledger, but important as it has become, it barely begins to explain why banks, regulators (including central banks) and tech firms are all over this technology.

The world of fintech is littered with its own terminology. We explain some of the more widely used terms.

Much has been said about the brave new world of transaction banking—robots and blockchains replacing humans and inefficient paper. Incorporating artificial intelligence and Big Data enable smarter, more strategic, enterprise-wide efforts.

CFOs are now so consumed by the need to meet expanding compliance requirements, they’re finding it harder to focus on big-picture strategy. 

London’s financial sector is likely to lose business—but to whom, and how much? Other European nations are courting UK-based finance operations. 

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

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

Jacques Molgo, group financing & treasury director, and Laurent Chesnay, head of group front office, Air Liquide, a French multinational, explain the appeal of deal-contingent forwards (DCF)—a type of foreign exchange contract.

Marc Chandler, global head of currency strategy with Brown Brothers Harriman, discusses how major world events are impacting currency markets.

Antoine Jacquemin, deputy head for Western Europe with Societe Generale, discusses strategies for hedging foreign exchange risks.

Naspers Group Head of treasury Jaco van der Merwe talks with Global Finance about managing complex foreign exchange transactions. 

In November in Beijing, Global Finance honored winners of our ninth annual Stars of China Awards, recognizing excellence in Chinese banks. 

Wu Chunjiang, assistant general manager for private banking at China Merchants Bank (CMB), talks with Global Finance about building strength regionally in private banking.

Ludovic Subran, chief economist at credit insurer Euler Hermes, speaks with Andrea Fiano, editor of Global Finance, about a changed trade outlook after the US elections.

The worst may be past for Russia’s economy, but it will be tough to attract global investors, even if Putin caps his foreign policy triumphs by persuading the West to ease sanctions. 

Low oil prices are forcing the country to build up other sectors—most notably healthcare—to shore up its ability to weather economic storms.

Michel Accad, who took over as CEO at Al Ahli Bank Kuwait in May 2014, talks to Global Finance about why the Kuwait banking system remains solid despite falling oil prices and other pressures.

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

When it comes to reviving the Greek economy, an obsession with paying down public debt may miss the mark. 

Romania’s voters gave an overwhelming endorsement to the Social Democratic Party (PSD) in the December 11 parliamentary elections. Now the challenge is to spur growth while keeping a lid on corruption. 

Some saw November’s decision by OPEC to cut crude oil production as a turning point in the cartel’s credibility, but many question the durability of the deal. 

Several stresses and changes will suggest an uncertain economic outlook for Cuba this year, says Paolo Spadoni, author of “Failed Sanctions: Why the U.S. Embargo against Cuba Could Never Work.”

India's demonetization drive is having huge impact on India’s $ 2.2 trillion economy, wreaking havoc on business operations.

Rosneft CEO and Putin ally Igor Sechin played a key role in selling off a stake in the giant state-owned mining concern. 

ExonMobil’s CEO Rex Tillerson went overnight from dark-horse candidate to president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for secretary of State. If confirmed, Tillerson might prove to have the toughest position in the new cabinet as he wrestles with strife around the world and a new relationship with Russia.

The new prime minister of New Zealand has his work cut out for him, despite a relatively strong economy. 

The Coca-Cola Company, one of the most identifiable international brands in the world, is changing its leadership. 

Not likely. American towns and cities have lost millions of manufacturing jobs, yet manufacturing output has actually risen 85% since 1987.

In early 2017 the Commercial Bank of Dubai will launch CBD NOW, the UAE’s first digital-only bank. The new bank is based entirely online and will offer all the services a regular bank does. 

Stricter capital controls by Chinese authorities are prompting concerns that the liberalization of the Chinese capital market is being halted at a time when the US dollar’s strength and a steady outflow of funds from the country are causing the renminbi to slide.

A new, special-purpose bank charter set to be awarded to select financial technology companies promises to be a boon for both the companies and banks, two fintech experts say. 

The Accounting and Auditing Organization for Islamic Financial Institutions (Aaoifi) has issued a new shariah standard that allows Islamic financial institutions to use gold. 

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. 

Malaysia’s central bank, Bank Negara Malaysia, has issued new hedging and foreign exchange rules aimed at restoring stability to the ringgit, which has been under pressure for some time. However, the effort may well have the opposite effect. 

The Shenzhen–Hong Kong Stock Exchange has become one of the dual channels through which mainland Chinese investors may have direct access to Hong Kong–listed stocks, and signals The latest connection signals further integration and extends China’s capital impact deeper into the Hong Kong market.

Panama has a claim as economic growth champion of Central America. Still, for investors, growth isn’t everything, and in Panama, corruption is a significant problem. 

The Bank to Bank Forum is a traditional fixture of the European chapter of the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT). Nearly a century old, the association advocates free-market solutions for trade services.