Armenia’s finance minister and former central bank vice-president Vache Gabrielyan is focusing on maintaining the country on its path of recovery, controlling inflation and starting a reform of its pension system.

A sharply declining growth in GDP, political and social unrest, credit rating downgrades, rising NPL ratios... To say Jordan's banks have faced a testing couple of years would be an understatement. However, there are some causes for optimism.

Although the global financial crisis led to a significant contraction in the Armenian economy, the country’s banks were largely unaffected by the turmoil. With low banking penetration and regulation that is both progressive and cautious, the future for these institutions looks bright.

South Korea has the second highest debt-to-disposable income ratio in the world, but Choongsoo Kim, governor of the Bank of Korea, insists that the country’s financial system is not at risk, and suggests that balancing the focus between export and domestic demand will lead to sustainable economic growth.

African countries are being held back by a lack of integration across the continent. Some say it is time to redraw the map by breaking down borders and deepening regional blocs, which will enable free trade to flourish. 

Brazil may be the world’s seventh largest economy in terms of gross domestic product, but its legislation and taxation policies, not to mention its infrastructure, still needs a lot of work if the country is to realise its full potential.

Peru's central bank governor, Julio Velarde, explains that with increasing levels of private investment, there is potential for further growth in the country.

Non-performing loans soared after a steep economic slowdown in Tajikistan, but improvements in its regulation and management practices have laid the foundations for a much more stable banking system in the country.