Brazil is still the leading country in Latin America when it comes to the might of the region's banking sectors, but further down the table the overall picture is obscured by the crisis in Venezuela. Silvia Pavoni reports.

The collapse of its key economic and political allies has prompted Cuba to re-engage with the international community. Moreover, the promise of an end to sanctions from long-time antagonist the US has given Western businesses the hope of valuable business deals – but can they see eye to eye? Silvia Pavoni reports.

A mismatch of networks and uneven regulation makes Latin America a frustrating market for digital payments providers, drawn to its huge population and growing mobile penetration. But with great challenges come rich opportunities, writes Silvia Pavoni.

Caribbean lenders still face challenges to growth, as shown in The Banker's Top 50 Caricom Banks ranking for 2016, but many have turned the corner in terms of profits. 

After eight successive years of fiscal surplus, the governor of Paraguay’s central bank, Carlos Fernández Valdovinos, explains to Silvia Pavoni how the country has managed to remain immune to the financial instability experienced in its Latin American neighbours. 

While Cuba is intent on updating its socialist economy and keen for the US embargo to be lifted, the workings of commercial creditors in pursuit of repayment reveal the extent of the challenges facing the country. This is sovereign debt restructuring, but not as we know it.

Luis Alberto Arce, Bolivia’s economy minister, tells Jane Monahan how the country's government is attempting to diversify its economy away from its dependence on raw materials. 

The culture of informal work is a topic that Peru’s new president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, is promising to tackle, and which banks are already addressing through financial inclusion initiatives such as the creation of a pioneering, sector-wide e-wallet. Silvia Pavoni investigates its potential to ease one of the country's main pressure points.