Although challenged by adverse economic conditions and increasing competition in the market, on the whole Taiwan's banks managed to record modest profit growth during 2008. Writer Charles Piggott

Formerly constricted by its traditional public sector mould, India's Bank of Baroda has reinvented itself with a branding overhaul and a forward-thinking realignment of its business model. Writer Brian Caplen

In May, The Banker examined the fate of Kazakhstan's fallen giant, Bank BTA. The Kazakh banks that have stayed solvent now explain their recovery strategies. Writer Philip Alexander

China's leading banks have come through the credit crisis and resulting global recession well, on the whole posting strong results for 2008. The Banker profiles five of these banks, looking at the ways in which they have transformed themselves by targeting a wider range of businesses and expanding their product offering. Writer Stephen Timewell