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GCC Regional Report 2015 | Trade
GCC With oil prices not expected to top $100 a barrel anytime soon, breaking down trade barriers is the one sure way to boost the GCC’s economic prospects.

SIBOS Supersection 2015 | Trade Finance Innovation
The impact of the trade finance shortfall is particularly significant for small and medium-size enterprises.

Global Finance interviewed Derek Pattison, Scotiabank’s VP of wealth management, Bahamas, on the importance of responding to clients’ needs for any product, anywhere.  

Milestones | New Zealand
In June, the Reserve Bank of New Zealand lowered its key cash interest rate a quarter of a percentage point to 3.25%, the first time the central bank has cut rates cut since 2011, citing a combination of deflationary pressure, plunging commodity prices and a slowdown in key export markets like China.

Newsmakers | Mexico
In June, Jaime Rodríguez Calderón became the first independent candidate to be elected a state governor in Mexico, winning office in Nuevo León.

Scotland still brings in more foreign direct investment than many larger countries. Last year it again headed the list of top UK destinations outside London.

Trends | Economy & Disease
In May, South Korea reported its first case of MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). The death toll had climbed to 24 as we went to press, making it the largest outbreak outside of Saudi Arabia, where the strain was first reported in 2012.

Small businesses today no longer need to convince a bank to get a loan. They can very well convince an algorithm that will assess their credibility based on a diverse parameters rather than a conventional credit check.

GCC Regional Report 2015 | Oil Prices
GCC countries are weathering low oil prices surprisingly well, cushioned by sovereign funds, economic diversification and development.

SIBOS Supersection 2015 | Innovation In Trade Finance
Alternative finance—in all its myriad forms—could prove the answer to the global trade finance gap.

The role of subcustodian banks is becoming more rigorous in response to regulations that impose new fiduciary responsibilities and far greater liabilities on global custodians.

SIBOS Supersection 2015 | Bank Relationship Management
Along with understanding the value they provide their banking partners, most companies want to know what they’re spending in banking fees each year, and how this compares to the contracted rates. Bank-fee analysis software can automate the process.

Cover Story | Supplement
As data sharing becomes more common, individual privacy seems to be more luxury than norm. But corporations working with big-data analytics must pay attention to how many personal details they gather about their customers, lest they cross the invisible line of what is acceptable and what is not—and anger their client base.

Milestones | Iceland
Nearly seven years after introducing controls on capital movements, Iceland is planning to ease restrictions it put in place when the collapse of its banking system brought the country to the brink of financial meltdown.

Capital Markets | Debt
Overstock.com, a Utah-based online retailer, issued the first digital corporate bond using blockchain technology—the same technology that supports cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin.

Country Report | Portugal
Portugal’s economy is booming. Exports are up and unemployment is down. Insufficient capital investment is the last tough nut to crack, and the government is attacking it with gusto—and significant tax reform.

Management | Corporate Governance
Japanese corporate culture, long considered one of the least shareholder-friendly among developed nations, may be softening up, with a little nudge from prime minister Shinzo Abe.

SIBOS Supersection 2015 | M&A IT Integration
Merging with other companies has its financial benefits, but when it comes to IT, not joining all the dots to integrate disparate systems can have serious consequences.

Global Finance Honors a Japanese powerhouse and a Spanish superstar as Top Of Class for 2015.       

SIBOS Supersection 2015 | Introduction
Digital trade is a key theme for the corporate forum at SWIFT’s Sibos conference in Singapore in October.