With change comes opportunity

Dean Sposito, head of cash management for financial institutions at Deutsche Bank, talks to The Banker, about the difficulties facing the cash management industry as banks cope with ever more regulation, critical technological investment, voracious competition and shrinking margins.

Tactics for a new age

In an attempt to appease regulators, banks are issuing Tier 1 debt capital that converts into equity if a certain trigger point is reached. However, only the biggest names - and those least likely to need to convert debt to equity - will be able to attract investor support for such issuance. Writer Charlie Corbett

Pricing an IPO has never been harder

With investors in a state of near permanent paranoia, pricing an initial public offering to perfection is critical in today's market. The list of failed or delayed IPOs in the first half of 2010 is testament to this. Only the strongest will survive - even those at a healthy discount. Writer Charlie Corbett

The Tier 1 conundrum

Recent positive noises from the Basel Committee have eased concerns among banks about what instruments will count as Tier 1 capital in the future. But huge uncertainties remain over what form future regulation will take, in particular regarding hybrid debt. Many banks could find that they are forced to revisit a now saturated market for bank equity issuance; either that or come up with more innovative ways of boosting capital ratios. Writer Charlie Corbett

Breaking down the barriers to energy finance

Substantial barriers impede investment in the infrastructure required to meet the global surge in energy demand over coming years. It is critical to break down these barriers, otherwise the world faces a potentially bleak and very dark future.

Opportunity after knocks

Opportunities abound for those involved in cash management and treasury services, but banks will need to work hard to stay ahead. Writer Charlie Corbett

Back to basics in the commodities market

Investors looking to use structured products to access the commodities markets have been forced to learn some harsh lessons in the crisis, as have the private bankers that sold them the products in the first place. Writer Charlie Corbett

Filling Asia's vacuum

As international banks have pulled back their trade and commodity finance operations in Asia during the downturn, so increasingly sophisticated local players, particularly in China, are piling in. Writer Charlie Corbett

Unrated but not unloved

UK travel company Thomas Cook's inaugural visit to the debt capital markets proved a successful one. Its dual currency euro/sterling issue closed with impeccable timing, just before a Greek tragedy and a UK farce.

FX in flux

Banks looking to compete in today's foreign exchange markets need to cope with immense challenges, including new players, new markets, and no less than a revolution in technology. Writer Charlie Corbett

Funding African infrastructure

The parlous state of infrastructure in Africa is one of the main reasons the continent has never achieved its immense potential. The Banker's roundtable attempts to find out how this situation can be rectified and where the money will come from to fund it. Writer Charlie Corbett

Why Islamic finance has not yet reached critical mass

The market for Islamic bonds, or sukuk, is expected to pick up in 2010, but its appeal will remain limited until the industry can agree a set of global standards and proper legal protection for creditors in case of default.

Dong taps starved sterling investors

Dong Energy took an opportunistic approach with its first sterling issue and found a hungry market, starved of issuance in 2010. Writer Charlie Corbett