Latest articles from Philip Alexander

Asia dominates global profits

July 1, 2013
Global share of profits, 2013 ranking

The Banker’s Top 1000 World Bank rankings for 2013 shows that Asia-Pacific is the most profitable region globally.

Top 1000 World Banks 2013

Top 1000 World Banks 2013

July 1, 2013

The rise of China and decline of the eurozone are two themes that continue to dominate the top end of the Top 1000. But some equally significant changes are taking place further down the rankings.

Russia leads CEE capital surge

July 1, 2013

The Tier 1 capital of the 25 largest central and eastern European banks climbed by 30% in this year's ranking, led by Russia's largest bank Sberbank. Meanwhile, consumer banking operations across the region are prominent among the most profitable and the fastest growing banks in the region.

Emerging market risks rising

July 1, 2013

Risk weightings on assets have increased for many emerging-market regions, but the very low level of risk-weighted assets in Europe looks disconnected from the deteriorating asset quality in the region.

Alexander Wilmot-Sitwell

New arrival leads BAML's emerging markets push

June 3, 2013

When Bank of America-Merrill Lynch hired Alexander Wilmot-Sitwell from UBS last year to front its Europe and emerging markets (excluding Asia) operations, it caused a stir. As he explains to The Banker, the move has been mutually beneficial.

Government backs Kazakh capital markets revival

Government backs Kazakh capital markets revival

June 3, 2013

Led by innovative deals from development banks, Kazakh bond markets are enjoying a dynamic spell, but pension reform casts uncertainty over the equity markets.

Holding their line: just two banking groups – JPMorgan and Société Générale – hold Ring-dealer status  on the London Metal Exchange after Barclays resigned its seat at the end of 2012

Commodities brokers move to fill the gaps

June 3, 2013

The withdrawal of some banking groups from commodities trading has created opportunities for independent brokers, but regulation, automation and competition still make it a challenging business.

Commodities players battle to stay the course

Commodities players battle to stay the course

June 3, 2013

Long-only commodities funds suffered poor returns in 2012 and investment banks saw their revenues squeezed, but there are still growth opportunities.

EU bonus rules fail to cap risks

May 28, 2013

The EU is set to cap bonuses at 200% of basic salary, but there is no evidence that this will improve risk-taking behaviour in investment banking.

Can Slovenia avoid a bail out?

May 8, 2013
Slovenia top 10 banks by assets, 2011

The need for a multilateral bail out of eurozone member Slovenia will depend on the state of its troubled banking sector, which lost a significant proportion of its capital in 2011.

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