Michael Sarris, Cyprus’s minister of finance, outlines the ambitious plans his ministry has for the country’s future and emphasises Cyprus’s regulatory alignment with the EU.

Low-value electronic payments are about to be speeded up in the UK by the Faster Payments Service. But banks are wincing at the set-up costs and the increased risk of fraud, writes Michael Imeson.

The controversial Polish Financial Supervision Authority is stuck in a political war with the government over who should control the country’s banks, writes Jan Cienski in Warsaw.

Taking a global perspective is vital to learn lessons from financial market turbulence and find the right approach to move forward in the future, says Jaime Caruana.

When it comes to payment infrastructure, it is no longer just a case of build versus buy. Partnering becomes an increasingly attractive alternative presenting tremendous value for financial institutions, says Colin Digby.

A relaxation of pension funds allocation rules in Latin America will hugely benefit regional private equity investment – but governments must keep better tallies of inflows, says Jason Mitchell in Buenos Aires.

Today’s payments landscape is fragmented with disparate mechanisms applied in different regions and countries. Alan Duerden considers which region will emerge as the global leader in the payments space.

The current debacle over Northern Rock is going to lead to a complete rethink on markets and the way they are governed.

Thierry Van Santen of the risk management association FERMA talks to Nicholas Pratt about the rise of the chief risk officer and the interaction between financial and operational risk managers.

As the world of banking changes, risk management must keep pace, and research and risk analysis are becoming increasingly important and complex. Heather McKenzie reports on Moody’s approach to risk ratings.