Global Banking

A VERY BRITISH MELTDOWN A SYSTEM IN PERIL The swiftness of Britain’s transition from the cutting edge of innovation in banking and finance to representing the epitome of the global crisis has left many heads spinning. But in its dramatic ...

AFRICAN INFRASTRUCTURE FINANCE Despite the increasingly sophisticated solutions deployed to prevent it, rogue trading is still a serious problem in the banking industry.   Every year banks spend billions deploying sophisticated filtering and electronic “perimeter fence” technologies to try to ...

AUSTRIA       Citi's Rhodes: Current crisis is the US' biggest challenge in recent history. With Bank of America buying Merrill Lynch and Lehman’s filing for bankruptcy, the global credit crunch is clearly far from over. In fact, a ...

ANNUAL SURVEY / WORLD’S BEST BANKS 2008     Now more than ever, the world’s best banks deserve recognition for continuing to provide excellent products and high levels of service to their clients, despite the distractions of the global credit ...

CARIBBEAN FINANCE CENTERS Recent changes are helping the venerable finance centers of the Caribbean stave off increasingly intense international competition.             Partly in response to the US-led assault on their opaque banking systems and propensity ...

BRAZIL     Digging in: Brazilian miner Vale is investing heavily. After several years of steady profit growth, Brazil’s banking sector reported a slowdown in second-quarter 2008. Bradesco, Brazil’s largest non-state bank by assets, posted a 13% drop in second-quarter ...

SPOTLIGHT / GLOBAL CUSTODY Global custodians are experiencing strong growth and increasingly complex demands from their clients.   Propelled by the growth in increasingly sophisticated financial instruments and the emergence of new markets and clients, the universe of financial assets ...

GLOBAL         Almost a year into the credit crunch, it appears that there are still widespread market fears of another financial firm going under. And it seems that the next six months are crucial in terms of ...

In the first of a two-part series, Global Finance identifies the best online corporate and consumer banks by country and regionally by product or service category.   Times have been hard recently for banks’ information technology departments. The collapse of ...

  ANNUAL SURVEY The past 12 months have been some of the most difficult ever for investment banks, but many institutions continue to provide outstanding services to their clients.             Investment banks are still writing ...

GREASING THE WHEELS OF GLOBAL TRADE ANNUAL SURVEY / SUPPLY CHAIN FINANCE Global Finance pinpoints the leaders in the increasingly innovative, creative and commercially important field of supply chain finance.   The physical transportation of goods between buyers and suppliers ...

ANNUAL SURVEY / ISLAMIC FINANCE Global Finance selects the winners in a fast-growing area of finance that combines investing according to the tenets of Islamic law with modern financial products and systems.   Islamic finance is a system of ethical ...

SECTOR REPORT / ISLAMIC FINANCE The range of Islamic finance techniques is growing rapidly, but some are concerned that the most innovative products may be flouting shariah principles.   While conventional financial markets are still reeling from the credit crunch, ...

CORPORATE TOOLBOX — SEPA Six months after SEPA’s introduction, banks are still trying to devise ways to encourage the businesses they serve to jump aboard. Additional optional services may provide the answer.   The introduction of the euro in January ...

INDIA     Reaching out: The US hopes its firms can win a slice of India's $500 billion spending spree. Bhopal Medical College Trust is the first Indian project to reap the benefits of US Export-Import Bank’s (Ex-Im Bank) Indian ...

ANALYSIS Deft maneuvering is helping Russia’s banks dodge the fallout from the credit crunch, but significant risks remain—particularly for smaller banks and their customers.     While the crises at UK mortgage lender Northern Rock and US investment bank Bear ...

GLOBAL     A cautious approach: Bank of England governor Mervyn King. The global credit crunch has highlighted just how far regulators and banks in some markets are willing to go to prop up the domestic financial system. However, clear ...

ANNUAL SURVEY / BEST EMERGING MARKET BANKS In our 15th annual survey of top banking performers in emerging markets, we name those banks that are consistently providing high levels of service in fast-evolving markets.   Download PDF (2 MB) The ...

ONLINE FRAUD New technologies and greater understanding of the mechanics of online fraud are helping corporations beat the bad guys.   The 2002 film “Catch Me If You Can” was based loosely on a book penned by Frank William Abagnale ...

WORLD’S BEST DEVELOPED MARKETS BANKS 2008 BEST DEVELOPED MARKETS BANKS Global Finance unveils its annual list of the best banks in developed markets around the world.     The past year has been one of the most tumultuous in recent ...