Turkey’s government wants to establish Istanbul as an international financial hub in time for the country’s 100th anniversary as a republic in 2023. The country's geographical location certainly works to its advantage, but it has much to achieve in just 10 years. Will it succeed?
Islamic finance is increasingly being viewed as a credible alternative to conventional finance, but Hussain Al-Qemzi, group chief executive of Dubai-based Noor Investment Group and chief executive of Noor Islamic Bank, recognises that Islamic institutions must work together if they are to compete with conventional banks.
The steady growth of sharia-compliant assets suggests banks believe in the future of the sector, but the dismantling of the largest cross-border Islamic window raises questions about whether global banking groups can make a success of the business.
After performing admirably in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, the growth of Lebanon's banks dramatically slowed. The Arab Spring uprisings in the Middle East and north Africa last year further unsettled the country's financial sector, but, as leading figures from its banks explain, there is still a great deal of room for optimism.
Turkey’s central bank has apparently achieved the impossible by successfully tackling inflation, stabilising the country's currency and combating speculative inflows through an unconventional mix of interest rate cuts and tweaking reserve requirements. But can these changes hold up against the changing economic climate?
The new CEO of Akbank, Hakan Binbaşgil, explains to Brian Caplen how the past decade has seen the bank transformed by its embracing of new technology, pioneering new channels, targeting Turkey's youthful population, and keeping the customer central to everything it does.