It has been a difficult year for the Middle Eastern banking sector and this shows in the regional top 25. But there are reasons to be positive – the Gulf region remains strong, the overall figures from The Banker's Top 1000 World Banks suggest an increase in profits and there is a welcome new entry from Iraq.
The banking landscape in Africa remains a case of potential unrealised, as its financial institutions' share of the Top 1000's overall assets and Tier 1 capital dipped slightly. However, the lowering of the average cost-to-income ration in the continent did provide some good news.
From collaborative software development to running risk calculations on lightning fast graphics chips, IT teams from all corners of the banking world have proven more inventive than ever over the past 12 months. The Banker's Innovation in Banking Technology Awards celebrates those behind the industry's brightest ideas.
Paul Camp, managing director and global head of cash management, financial institutions at Deutsche Bank Global Transaction Banking, discusses how the cash management industry is coping in the aftermath of the global financial crisis, and the trends he expects to see develop in the future. Writer John Beck
Visa Europe's chief information officer recently oversaw the final migration of clients to a new inter-bank processing platform that has been almost a decade in the making. He describes how the new datacentre will offer great value to both the company and its customers. Writer John Beck