November 2016

Global Finance Magazine's 16th annual ranking of the World's Safest Banks illustrates how  sovereign rating upgrades impact the perceived strength of a country's financial institutions. 

The safest banks in Europe are located in Northern and Western Europe, with Germany contributing ten of the Top 50 banks and France nine. The safest nine European banks are the same nine that lead our Global Safest Banks ranking.  ...

The safest banks in the Middle East are all based in the GCC, with the exception of the two large Israeli banks, Hapoalim and Leumi, which rank 26th and 27th. National Bank of Abu Dhabi remains the Safest Bank in ...

The safest three emerging markets banks are South Korean, following ratings upgrades by Moody’s and S&P. Korea Development Bank, Export-Import Bank of Korea and Industrial Bank of Korea now have at least one AA and one AA- rating each, which ...

Global Finance ranks the 50 safest commercial banks in the world. 

Abu Dhabi’s Al Hilal Bank is the safest Islamic bank in the six GCC states, replacing Al Rajhi Bank of Saudi Arabia, which falls to seventh position following downgrades prompted by the downgrading of the Saudi government. Kuwait Finance House ...

Global Finance’s country-by-country ranking of the Safest Banks comprises 104 countries. Sixteen of these countries have a new safest bank this year. Most new winners have earned their places through ratings upgrades, while some have taken the top position by ...

Ten years ago, Global Finance’s ranking of the world’s safest banks included such household names as Citigroup, Royal Bank of Scotland, Deutsche Bank and the Spanish giants, Santander and BBVA. None of these now feature in the Safest 50—indeed, several ...

The assets of the 50 biggest emerging markets banks rose in 2015 by 35%, to $27.2 trillion, even as many emerging markets currencies lost value against the dollar. The rise in asset size of the biggest 50 was driven by ...

Eli Broverman is president and co-founder of Betterment, a provider of automated online investment advice—“robo-advisory.” He visited Global Finance to discuss technology and asset management.

 Like other geographic regions once under communist rule, Croatia has traveled a chaotic road to statehood, but it is now solidifying its economic and political progress. 

Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) has joined with Japan's SoftBank Group to  launch what could become a $100 billion fund to focus on technology investments. 

Columbian voters stunned observers on October 2 by rejecting the peace deal between the government of president Juan Manuel Santos and the guerrilla group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), despite a 52-year civil war that has claimed approximately 220,000 ...

After several years of inactivity, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) could see a spate of M&A deals in financial services. 

The cost of producing solar power has fallen sharply in the past five years—so much that in some cases it can be half the price, or even less, of conventional power. Experts predict solar's cost will continue to plummet. 

Transfer pricing—price-setting for sales within a corporate family—for maximum returns takes on heightened risk as governments crack down on creative tax-avoidance maneuvers.

With mounting payment obligations and a worsening balance of payments, Pakistan has returned to the Islamic bond market after a two-year hiatus. In early October, Pakistan mopped up $1 billion through a dollar-denominated Islamic bond with a five-year tenure.

Rising oil demand has some countries hoping that commodity prices will rebound. 

A smooth transition of power to crown prince of Thailand Maha Vajiralongkorn after his father, king Bhumibol Adulyadej, died in mid-October, is looking unlikely, however. 

Tim Sloan, new CEO of Wells Fargo, will likely close branches and seek growth online, but even that may not be enough to help the San Francisco-based bank change direction in the wake of its cross-selling scandal. 

Caterpillar, the US-based leader in the machinery and engine industry, announced that in January Doug Umpleby, a longtime Caterpillar executive, will succeed Doug Oberhelman as the company’s CEO. He will be challenged by slow growth worldwide. 

Global Finance presented awards to central bankers from around the globe who earned top grades in our annual report cards at a ceremony in Washington, DC, coinciding with the annual IMF/World Bank meetings. 

Samsung’s soon-to-be vice chairman and heir apparent, Lee Jae-yong, rises to face the challenge of leading the multinational tech giant at a difficult time. 

Scots are trying some novel theories for legitimate ways to escape the United Kingdom-wide exit from the European Union. 

According to a recent IMF, World Bank and Arab Monetary Fund report, 40% of Arab banks are experiencing “a significant decline” in the scale of correspondent banking relationships. The report shows 167 terminated accounts in 2015 compared to 71 in ...

With interest rates in negative territory and quantitative easing having run its course, central bankers are thinking about turning to cryptocurrencies to solve problems.  

Combining pessimism with a moderate amount of optimism in its 2016 outlook for foreign direct investment, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad) forecasts that total FDI flows will fall in 2016 compared with 2015, with the drop ...

The US dollar remains king in the world’s biggest market, as the rise of Asia’s share in foreign exchange trading, led by China, is coming at the expense of Europe rather than the US, analysts say. 

Saudi Arabia made a splash with its $17.5 billion debut in the global bond market, which was the largest debt issuance by an emerging economy. The successful sale on October 19 was increased from an originally planned $10 billion, as ...

Algorithms reading Twitter may have sent the pound tumbling for no good reason. 

Political turmoil is roiling markets abroad and at home, yet observers say fundamentals should leave the country well-placed to draw FDI when sunshine returns.

Syria’s agony is imposing serious costs for neighbors in terms of refugees, lost trade and dampened investment.

As fintech becomes both partner and competitor to global and regional banks—and other financial services firms—it is increasingly coming under the scrutiny of regulators. But how that regulatory framework develops is different in each jurisdiction. In the province of Ontario, ...

Financial settlement start-up Ripple has enjoyed a cordial, but at times uneasy relationship with the financial messaging network SWIFT. On the one hand it has sought to collaborate with SWIFT to try and improve the cross-border payments experience for corporate ...

Singapore chosen as a top fintech hub in Connecting Global FinTech: Hub Review 2016 by Deloitte and All Street Research.