The US is in trouble. Its infrastructure is in dire need of repair but the heavily indebted country cannot afford to pay for it. All the more surprising then that the overtures of private – and in many cases foreign – capital are being met with resistance.

The consolidation of Société Générale's Russian subsidiaries will create a universal bank with firepower, its chief executive Vladimir Golubkov explains to Brian Caplen.

With inflation eroding real returns, investors are ready to take on greater equity market risk. But only if other risks can be excluded from the mix.

The recent frenzy of exchange mergers is rooted in tough market conditions for US and European equity exchanges, forcing them to move away from their bread and butter operations to new asset classes.

In the space of a few months, Russia’s second largest bank has engineered ground-breaking bond issues, a kick-start to the government’s privatisation programme, and two acquisitions.

Technology is not always a primary consideration in banking M&A activity. But the success, or failure, of subsequent IT integrations can make or break any deal.

Bank of Moscow's debut Eurobond could hardly have been launched at a more difficult time. The political intrigue surrounding the mayor of Moscow was compounded by a potential change of ownership at the bank and a downgrading by Moody's.

Philippe Chambadal, CEO of middle- and back-office processing technology provider SmartStream, discusses the post-trade landscape and the regulatory and operational challenges facing market participants.

Oil companies are looking to Kuwait's government for signs that the country's major energy projects are to get under way, but legislative deadlock is hampering their future.