Magazine Cover

Cover Story

Features

Award Winners

WORLD’S BEST BANKS 2014

Global Finance unveils its annual list of the  best banks globally, regionally and by country. The banking industry remains under stress, but there are bright spots.

BEST IN CLASS

BEST IN CLASS

ANNUAL SURVEY | WORLD’S BEST BANKS
A selection of winners from Global Finance’s awards program over the past year.

Global Salon

THE ROAD TO CONVERGENCE

Global Finance sat down with Russell Golden, chairman of the Financial Accounting Standards Board, to discuss the current activities of the FASB—including its recently issued standard on revenue recognition, a joint effort with the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).

Africa Supplement 2014

MADE IN AFRICA, FOR AFRICA

MADE IN AFRICA, FOR AFRICA

AFRICA 2014 | INTRODUCTION
Though Africa has experienced impressive growth for well over a decade now, domestic markets and intraregional economic relations have remained constrained, with national economies driven primarily by mounting foreign demand for the continent’s natural resources and commodity exports.Today, however, things appear to be changing. For one thing, Africa is witnessing the emergence of a middle class.

CEMENTING REGIONAL TIES

AFRICA 2014 | UNITY
Africa’s dream of greater economic unity is gradually becoming a reality, with plans to establish a free-trade area spanning eastern and southern African countries well under way. Yet it could take time for the associated economic and trading benefits to play out.

Country Report

Milestones

EMERGING MARKETS INFRASTRUCTURE RECEIVES BOOST

MILESTONES | GLOBAL
World Bank Group president Jim Yong Kim announced the launch of a Global Infrastructure Facility during the World Bank–IMF fall meeting in Washington, DC, in October.

STOCK EXCHANGE TO SCRAP FOREIGN OWNERSHIP LIMIT

MILESTONES | TANZANIA
Plans by Tanzania’s Capital Markets and Securities Authority to dispense with the 60% foreign ownership limit in stocks listed on the Dar es Salaam Stock Exchange could bring positive results in the short and medium term for Africa’s capital markets.

Corporate Finance

EMERGING MARKETS BRACE FOR FED TIGHTENING

CAPITAL MARKETS | FOREIGN EXCHANGE
As the Federal Reserve winds down its bond-buying program and prepares to raise rates, analysts are debating the likelihood of a repeat of last year’s “taper tantrum”—when the mere hint of a gradual end to quantitative easing in the US caused huge disruptions to emerging markets (EMs).

GOLDMAN SACHS TO TAP GROWING ISLAMIC MARKET

CAPITAL MARKETS | ISLAMIC FINANCE
To diversify its sources of financing, Goldman Sachs plans to issue a benchmark Islamic bond, at a time when demand for sukuk is outrunning supply. Meanwhile, South Africa is planning its first sovereign sukuk, and the Egyptian government is working on a new sukuk law, following the military’s overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi last year.

Newsmakers

BOTÍN: GROOMED FOR SUCCESS

BOTÍN: GROOMED FOR SUCCESS

NEWSMAKERS | SPAIN
Less than 24 hours after the sudden death, in September, of her father Emilio Botín, widely recognized as one of the shrewdest, most successful bankers in modern history, Ana Patricia Botín was unanimously named by the board to take the helm of Banco Santander, an institution that has been under the control of her family for three generations.

KHAN PUSHES FOR PM’S RESIGNATION

NEWSMAKERS | PAKISTAN
After an eventful career as an international cricket star, Imran Khan Niazi embraced politics in Pakistan 17 years ago, an environment dominated by religious and fervent groups. Gaining prominence when his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI), captured 7.7 million votes in last May’s elections to become the third-largest faction in parliament...

INDEPENDENCE VOTE MARKS THE RETURN OF GORDON BROWN

NEWSMAKERS | UNITED KINGDOM
From Washington to Madrid, there was a collective sigh of relief breathed around Western capitals when Scottish voters decided by a majority of 55% to reject the call for independence and remain part of the United Kingdom. For all those who did not want Scotland to secede, an unlikely hero had emerged in the form of Gordon Brown.

Sponsored

THE NEW MOBILE BANKING PASSWORD – YOUR VOICE

THE NEW MOBILE BANKING PASSWORD – YOUR VOICE

Sponsored Statement | Infosys Strategic Vision
Technology continues to evolve by the hour. The exponential usage of smartphones and tablets is deeply influencing consumer behavior and preferences. Now, consumers prefer most of their banking services to be “One Click Away – on-the-go! To tap this changing market scenario, banks have shifted their focus from branch models to virtual platforms