As always, The Banker’s editors and correspondents have travelled far and wide to research stories for this issue. Editor-in-chief Stephen Timewell visited Reykjavik to report on the miracle growth of Kaupthing Bunadarbanki, run by 35-year-old Hreidar Mar Sigurdsson, who joined 11 years ago when there were only 25 staff. Today the bank is placed at 211 in The Banker’s Top 1000, a climb of 248 places on the year before. Kaupthing is one of the amazing eight banks that outperformed in the Top 1000 and are profiled in this month’s cover story. Other featured banks include Bancolombia, Bank Internasional Indonesia, First Gulf Bank and Austria’s Hypo Alpe-Adria Bank. We also have, for the first time, a list of the Top 50 Contenders expected to join next year’s Top 1000.
Other international reportage comes from Kerin Hope in Albania, Nick Freeman in Vietnam, Kala Rao in India and Jonathan Wheatley in Brazil – demonstrating The Banker’s commitment to countries of all sizes. We attempt to uncover and understand the facts that are not reported in the newspapers. We go behind the headlines, listen to what local bankers and analysts on the ground tell us and return, hopefully, with some real perspective.
