June 2017

Throughout history, there have been major transformative periods where a single innovation has wrought profound social and economic changes over the next century 

Global Finance magazine's anniversary special issue on Innovation includes our awards for top Innovators in Finance of 2017, as well as a look back at the top innovations of the last 30 years and a look ahead to what the future of finance portends. 

Michael Gould, founder and CTO of Anaplan, a performance-management Cloud platform provider, visited Global Finance to discuss innovation in corporate software, the fast-growing need for data analysis, and how to turn an idea into a global company.

Yulia Tseplyaeva, now chief economist for Russia at Sberbank, speaks about Russia’s pivot East and adjustment to ruble devaluation.

Cyprus is emphasizing sustainable growth and addressing problems such as high unemployment and nonperforming loans.

Despite gloomy forecasts, Britain’s expected economic collapse has not materialized, and new research suggests the impact on trade will be mitigated.

The sub-Saharan nation taps special zones to draw foreign direct investment.

Russia is working to reduce its dependency on Europe by strengthening domestic industry and ties to the Far East. It’s a work in progress.  

Following the April summit the US and China achieved a 100-day joint action plan, a significant departure from Trump’s campaign rhetoric

Elon Musk, profitless billionaire first it surpassed Ford, then GM, then went head to head with Honda and flew past it. 

Urjit Patel, India's central bank govenor For the first time ever, India’s 82-year-old central bank, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), will have a chief financial officer with domain expertise to oversee sweeping reforms. 

Moon Jae-in, South Korea's new president Civil- and human-rights lawyer and former student activist Moon Jae-in won a presidential election on May 9, becoming the 12th person to serve as president of South Korea.

Bruno Le Maire, France's new minister of the Economy — is appointed by Emmanuel Macron following the French presidential elections

The appointment of Nestor Espenilla Jr. as governor of Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is one of President Rodrigo Duterte’s less controversial decisions and may ease investor concerns over the stability of one of Southeast Asia’s fastest growing economies.

The re-election of moderate Hassan Rouhani for a second term as Iran’s president ends a chapter in Iran’s history,

For the 200,000-plus victims of the WannaCry ransomware attack, a short period of blame was replaced by awareness of the reality that complacency creates vulnerability. 

Arthur Laffer Although Donald Trump has suffered political setbacks in his first months as US president, he is still in a position to drive ahead on his audacious plans for tax cuts and infrastructure spending, says economic iconoclast Arthur Laffer, ...

The Central Bank of Bahrain will launch the kingdom’s first electronic wallet by the end of June, “an important step in enhancing the financial sector by providing innovative payment solutions aimed at both public and private sectors,” says Salman bin ...

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. 

New regulatory demands are changing banking relationships and, combined with rapid technological change, squeezing transaction banks in the Middle East and North Africa.

This year, we have honorees across a range of product areas that all aim to either help make their clients’ lives easier or make it easier for the banks themselves to foster innovation. 

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