March 2017

People, businesses and governments around the world are looking anxiously toward Washington these days, trying to read the mind of the new president, Donald Trump, and the soul of the new Congress for changes that might affect them.

The title—“Back to the Future?”—was possibly a little mischievous, given recent political trends; yet the discussions at this year’s Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT) Europe Bank-to-Bank Forum were anything but impish.

Winston Churchill refused to listen to wealth advisors’ advice and often acted contrary to what they suggested, according to David Lough, a private banker of long standing who has recently published a book entitled No More Champagne: Churchill and His ...

Coverage of Latin America regional winners of Global Finance magazine's 2017 awards for Best Treasury & Cash Management. 

Coverage of Middle East regional winners of Global Finance magazine's 2017 awards for Best Treasury & Cash Management. 

Coverage of North American regional winners of Global Finance magazine's 2017 awards for Best Treasury & Cash Management. 

Coverage of Asia-Pacific regional winners of Global Finance magazine's 2017 awards for Best Treasury & Cash Management. 

Coverage of Western Europe regional winners of Global Finance magazine's 2017 awards for Best Treasury & Cash Management. 

​ Coverage of Central & Eastern Europe regional winners of Global Finance magazine's 2017 awards for Best Treasury & Cash Management. 

Global Finance: What economic indicators does your firm focus on in China? Leland Miller: Growth alone is not a good indicator, due to China’s borrowing and spending. Additionally, GDP information can be easily manipulated and numbers are not transparent. We ...

With its currency battered and government revenue down to historic lows, Angola, Africa’s largest oil producer, must now address the fundamental causes of its macroeconomic imbalances. 

Paraguay has emerged from the shadows of its larger neighbors Brazil and Argentina to become the “little China” of South America. Its against-the-odds economic success story is sustained by an investment-friendly climate and strong fiscal discipline.

Swiss citizens rejected federal government proposals to overhaul the country’s corporate tax system.

The long-awaited Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) between the European Union and Canada was approved by the European Parliament in mid-February.

Even by the Balkans’ standards, the honeymoon accorded Romania’s new Social Democratic Party (PSD) government was brief after the party’s victory in the December 11 elections.

Auditors may have suffered a reputational crisis in the wake of recent corporate financial scandals; but using artificial intelligence and data analytics, the profession hopes to reinvent itself.

Brazil’s administration faces an approval rating of only 10.3% and the unpredictable course of corruption investigations. But president Michel Temer still has a major opportunity to get Congress this year to approve his ambitious and unpopular austerity reforms of social security, labor laws, and the opening of rural land and domestic airline sectors to foreign investors.

Margaret Georgiadis, a former Google executive, joined Mattel in February as its new CEO. Mattel is one of the world’s largest toy companies and the executive leadership change comes at a time of substantive growth for the global toys industry.

Ever since Theresa May became Britain’s prime minister in the wake of last year’s fateful EU referendum, she has sought to define herself—and her government—as something more than just the executors of the “people’s will” in carrying out Brexit.

David Malpass was one of Donald Trump’s key economic advisors before the election. He is tipped to be appointed soon as US Treasury undersecretary for international affairs.

Amid concerns surrounding the future of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Mexican tequila maker Jose Cuervo recently priced a hefty $790 million initial public offering (IPO), the country’s biggest since 2013.

From upscale department store Neiman Marcus to organic grocer Whole Foods, major luxury retailers and grocery chains are playing musical chairs in C-suites and boardrooms as they streamline management and change creative roles amid declining in-store sales.

Last year the Gulf emirate of Dubai seized 1.6 billion dirham ($437 million) in counterfeit goods—a signal that the trading center has shed its reputation as a hub for illicit merchandise.

IBM has announced a blockchain initiative in the UAE for a trade finance and logistics project with Dubai Customs and Dubai Trade.

By adding voice commands to its SmartBank app, Santander claims to be the first bank in the UK to allow customers to make payments in real time using their voice.

Japanese telecom giant SoftBank raised eyebrows at the end of February by announcing that it will buy the publicly traded private equity titan Fortress Investment Group.

American-style shareholder-first capitalism isn’t the only way to go. Some countries and companies practice “stakeholder capitalism,” which recognizes the interests of labor, customers and the community.

Just months after receiving its banking license, Berlin-headquartered mobile-only bank N26 is active in 17 eurozone countries. The rapid rollout was made possible by N26 linking up with innovative partners, including TransferWise (intercurrency transfers), Vaamo (N26 Invest) and Barzahlen (Cash26).

Mauritius wants foreign direct investment, but investors should consider the economic shift currently underway toward the ocean economy.

Last year, after a difficult 2015, it seemed that just about everything that could go wrong for the South Caucasus actually did. In April, simmering tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the contested region of Armenian-occupied Nagorno-Karabakh exploded into renewed ...

It is a new dawn for treasury and cash management banks in the Nordic region, thanks to disruption caused by financial technology start-ups and broader market changes.