Magazine Cover

Cover Story

Cover Story : Asia

AUSTRALIA AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND BANKING GROUP ANZ Banking Group, the smallest of the four-largest Australian banks, expects to meet its 8% earnings growth target this year, despite weakness in corporate loan demand, its traditional area of strength. While ANZ ...

Cover Story : Europe

AUSTRIA BANK AUSTRIA CREDITANSTALT Austria’s largest banking group, with total assets of approximately $166 billion, has just become Europe’s largest IPO of the year. In July parent company HVB of Germany spun off a primary listing on the Vienna Stock ...

Cover Story : Latin America

ARGENTINA NOT AWARDED BOLIVIA BANCO BISA Banco Bisa continues to be the best performer in a country slogging through political and economic turmoil that has left its banking system in disarray. After 30 years of operation, Bolivia’s largest bank continues ...

Cover Story : Middle East & Africa

BAHRAIN NATIONAL BANK OF BAHRAIN National Bank of Bahrain is recognized for both its wholesale activities (NBB has lead arranged several important project finance deals in the country’s modernization drive and is rated highly for trade finance) as well as ...

Cover Story : North America

UNITED STATES CITIGROUP Its banking franchise in the United States is not as large as its global presence, but Citibank is still hard to beat. The banking unit of the giant Citigroup made a move to expand its geographical presence ...

Cover Story : World’s Best Banks 2003

AFTER WEATHERING TWO terrible years, the world’s banks must have been looking forward to a less tempestuous time in 2003. And that was what they got. Sure, there have been trouble spots in the past year, too, but most of ...

Features

Features : Best Banks In Project Finance 2003

High energy prices could prove to be a tonic for a market that has been under the weather for the past few years. Global Finance selects the winners from a shrinking group of banks with the appetite to take on ...

Features : Central Banker Report Cards

IT’S BEEN A TUMULTUOUS YEAR for the world’s central bankers. There have been resignations, falls from grace, surprise appointments—and, of course, the usual economic crises to tackle. Given the circumstances, it may come as a surprise that the number of ...

Features : CLS: Settling for Less

CLS Bank was introduced to address foreign exchange settlement risk in the interbank market,but its risk-reduction and netting benefits could find wider application among corporate treasurers and fund managers. The specter of foreign exchange settlement risk has preoccupied the international ...

Features : Custody Becomes a Relationship Business

As the profitability of pure custody services continues to decline, global custodians are realizing their dreams of moving up the corporate value chain. Jeff Conway, managing director, investor services UK, at State Street The bear market has been tough for ...

Features : Euro Stumbles as Germany, Italy Slide Into Recession

EUROPE The euro’s slump against the US dollar and the Japanese yen may have further to run, as long as the global recovery remains on track, analysts say. Germany and Italy are technically in recession, after reporting two quarters in ...

Features : Markets Keep a Wary Eye on Ankara

If the Turkish government can resist the temptations of a pre-election splurge, the country’s economic future looks brighter than it has for years. But that is a big ‘if’. Astring of encouraging economic indicators, as well as the IMF’s decision ...

Features : The World’s Biggest Banks 2003

Global Finance ranks the world’s biggest 50 banks as measured by total assets. LAST YEAR WAS YET another tough one for the world’s biggest banks, and many of the top names saw their total assets fall over the year. The ...

Features : The World’s Safest Banks

Global Finance selects the World’s Safest Banks, the 50 institutions with the highest ratings from the leading international credit ratings agencies. A single downgrade from a single ratings agency has been enough to knock the perennial leader in the Global ...

Emerging Markets

Cover Story : World’s Best Banks 2003

AFTER WEATHERING TWO terrible years, the world’s banks must have been looking forward to a less tempestuous time in 2003. And that was what they got. Sure, there have been trouble spots in the past year, too, but most of ...

Features : CLS: Settling for Less

CLS Bank was introduced to address foreign exchange settlement risk in the interbank market,but its risk-reduction and netting benefits could find wider application among corporate treasurers and fund managers. The specter of foreign exchange settlement risk has preoccupied the international ...

Features : Markets Keep a Wary Eye on Ankara

If the Turkish government can resist the temptations of a pre-election splurge, the country’s economic future looks brighter than it has for years. But that is a big ‘if’. Astring of encouraging economic indicators, as well as the IMF’s decision ...

2003 Central Banker Report Cards

Features : Central Banker Report Cards

IT’S BEEN A TUMULTUOUS YEAR for the world’s central bankers. There have been resignations, falls from grace, surprise appointments—and, of course, the usual economic crises to tackle. Given the circumstances, it may come as a surprise that the number of ...

Milestones

Milestones : Taking Note

CHINA/UNITED STATES RISING YUAN COULD GREASE DOLLAR’S SKIDS … The United States began throwing its weight around in China lastmonth, with treasury secretary John W. Snow making it clear to Chinese leaders that they need to change their policy of ...

Corporate Finance

Corporate Finance : Telecom Leads Parade Of Taiwan-Based Issuers

ASIA Taiwan’s Chunghwa Telecom raised $1.4 billion through a new issue of American depositary receipts in July, as the Taiwan government reduced its stake in the company. The issue sold out quickly, as investors were attracted by the relatively high ...

Newsmakers

Newsmakers : Around The World

IRAQ A MODEST START FOR BANKING IN IRAQ At the end of August the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) in Iraq announced that JPMorgan Chase had been selected to lead a 13-bank consortium to operate the newly created Trade Bank ...