The Banker toasts the talents of the world's top central bank governors whose leadership has been at the forefront of the battle to contain the global financial crisis.

Puerto Rico's dependence on the US meant that the subprime crisis hit its banking sector particularly hard. A period of consolidation is now expected, but who the winners will be - the big domestic players or foreign-owned entities - remains to be seen. Writer Jane Monahan in Puerto Rico

The Credit Suisse team working on the Banco Santander Brasil initial public offering - the largest in the world this year - travelled to four continents in two and a half weeks to secure the deal, a hectic schedule that reaped dividends. Writer John Rumsey

The economic downturn has temporarily alleviated the pressure on Brazil's regional banks. They are using that breathing space to seek efficiencies, including cost cutting, improving customer service and seeking capital from new sources. They need to move fast: as national banks recover, acquisition of regional banks will once again become an attractive expansion strategy. Writer John Rumsey

With one of the most liberalised economies in the world, prudent policies, and trading links with the Far East, Chile is poised to emerge from the downturn as a Latin American front-runner. Writer Jason Mitchell

With the exception of Panama, whose macroeconomy is cushioned by its canal expansion plan, GDP growth forecasts for the small economies of central America are negative this year as trade and investment from the US slows. Writer Jane Monahan