The remittances market is too big to ignore, but with more providers entering the market and with banks struggling to respond to new regulations, how can banks stay relevant?

Growth rates and returns on consumer lending in Russia are remarkable, but the market demands increasing levels of sophistication to ensure success.

With Lebanon's economy feeling the strains of political infighting and the two-year civil war in neighbouring Syria, its banks have been looking overseas in search of growth, establishing footholds in countries such as Turkey and Iraq, as well as seeking to consolidate their presence in Egypt and the Gulf.

The management quality of Ukrainian banks is gradually improving, but they continue to face difficulties from legal and political uncertainty, with some foreign-owned banks already giving up the struggle.

Nigeria’s banking sector has become highly concentrated over the past 10 years, with the biggest five lenders now dominating market share. But executives at smaller firms are not worried. They insist that innovation and nimbleness, not to mention the huge scope for growth in Nigeria, will see them make up for their lack of size.

Portugal's banks have solved capital shortfalls and improved their funding positions, but finding sustainable sources of loan and revenue growth is proving more difficult.

As the political stand-off in Georgia between the new prime minister and president shows no sign of abating, the country’s economy is showing resilience and its banks are eyeing opportunities to strengthen growth by tapping into the country's unbanked population.

Analysts are predicting a strong showing from Nigeria’s banks as they announce their 2012 results, perhaps demonstrating once and for all that they are over their 2009 crisis. They cannot rest on their laurels, however, as 2013 could be far tougher for them.