The Banker has identified 13 banks to keep an eye on in the coming year based on a variety of factors. German-based Fidor Bank has been selected for its forward-thinking business model, which is based on Web 2.0 and social media, e-commerce, games and mobile internet.
Western Europe
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Banks to watch in 2013, Odea Bank
February 1, 2013The Banker has identified 13 banks to keep an eye on in the coming year based on a variety of factors. A new entrant to the Turkish market Odea Bank – a subsidiary of Lebanon’s Bank Audi – has set an ambitious target to become one of the top 15 banks in Turkey by the end of 2017, making it one to watch over the next few years.
Banks to watch in 2013, Silicon Valley Bank
February 1, 2013The Banker has identified 13 banks to keep an eye on in the coming year based on a variety of factors. US-based Silicon Valley Bank's launch of its full-service bank in London, targeting what it calls innovation companies, makes it one to watch.
MasterCard makes innovation pay
February 1, 2013The breadth of MasterCard's portfolio of payment solutions would have been unimaginable when the president of global technology and operations at MasterCard Technologies, Robert Reeg, started his career, but with 85% of global transactions still in cash, he explains the importance of pressing ahead with yet more innovation.
Terra Firma housing deal on solid ground
February 1, 2013In difficult market conditions with a heavy existing debt burden, Annington Homes was still able to issue the largest ever debut high-yield bond in the UK.
Europe issues hang heavy over Sweden's finance minister
February 1, 2013It may not be part of the struggling eurozone but Sweden is suffering its very own Europe-related problems. Its finance minister, Anders Borg, tells The Banker why he does not want the UK to leave the EU, what difficulties could be posed by the formation of a banking union and where the responsibility for bailing out banks should lie.
Social banking in the omnichannel era
February 1, 2013Banks are no longer just competing with each other, they are also at war with a growing number of retailers and innovative start-ups that employ social media tactics to offer sought-after services. The Banker brought together a panel of banking experts to discuss the issues. This round table was sponsored by Cisco, but independently written and edited.
Rothschild navigates Peel Ports to calm waters
February 1, 2013As bank debt becomes harder to source and borrowers turn to new bond market structures, independent advisory banks such as Rothschild are seeing their role increase – or perhaps return to historical levels – as was shown in its role refinancing the debt for a UK port owner.
State bail outs are still with us
January 28, 2013While regulation says that bondholders should be the ones to lose out when banks fail, the reality is that such write-downs are rarely forced.
Rebuilding the Greek banking scene
January 3, 2013A series of mergers will change the shape of the Greek banking sector, with three dominant players pulling away from the pack.