The consumer credit market has been growing but a slowing economy and lax processes have taken their toll on some players, says Kala Rao.

It is a given that larger banks have scale in their favour but Australia’s smaller banks are playing on customer service in a bid to win business, writes Virginia Marsh.

Czech banks’ strategy is protecting them from direct effects of the US subprime crisis, although they could be affected indirectly. Jan Cienski reports from Prague.

Peter Wise and Brian Caplen talk to chief executive Ricardo Espírito Santo Salgado about Banco Espírito Santo’s plans to expand further its well-established banking network in Portuguese-speaking countries.

Kemal Unakitan preserved Turkey’s public finances in 2007, despite turbulence in domestic politics and international markets. He wants to maintain momentum in 2008, he tells Philip Alexander.

BBVA is in an enviable position for 2008, having had no involvement with subprime assets. Jules Stewart talks to president and COO José Ignacio Goirigolzarri.

Spanish banks are tightening up their strategies in preparation for a global slowdown says Jules Stewart.

Spanish banks appear to have survived the credit crunch relatively unscathed. However, as Jules Stewart reports, the country’s current account deficit and reliance on foreign markets is causing concern among some commentators.

Behind the alarming headlines about bank bail-outs in the state sector, leading players in Germany’s capital markets are quietly making headway, reports Philip Alexander.

Despite its write-downs last year and Allianz splitting Dresdner Kleinwort off from rest of the group, Dresdner Bank’s senior executives still see opportunities to progress on the international stage. Philip Alexander reports.