One of the world’s largest money transfer networks, Western Union, has launched a bank.Stephen Timewell finds out what the move offers the network in the long term.

The Gulf Cooperation Council states and their banks may be small but they are enjoying huge growth with great prospects. Stephen Timewell reports.

This year’s survey reveals the world’s top banks are enjoying record profits as consolidation strengthens the markets. Research by Terry Baker-Self, Beata Ghavimi & Matthew Dickie.

Bank Austria Creditanstalt is no longer a competitor but a subsidiary of UniCredit in central and southern Europe.Stephen Timewell considers the Austrian bank’s retail prospects.

Raiffeisen International has been highly successful in entering new markets in central and eastern Europe and it now has plans for dramatic organic growth in Russia, CEO Herbert Stepic tells Stephen Timewell.

Self-service banking means more than withdrawing cash. Stephen Timewell talks to bankers about the future of the ATM – its potential as a promotional device and use via mobile phone and the internet.

The landscape of Kuwait’s banking sector is shifting, providing its participants with new opportunities. Stephen Timewell reports from Kuwait City on the banks’ strategies for growth and profit.
The highly profitable and comfortable world of Kuwaiti banking is now entering a period of radical transition as both market and regulatory forces begin to significantly reshape the industry.
The massive hike in oil revenues, the licensing of not only international and regional banks but also new Islamic banks, as well as Iraq’s huge potential, provide the banking sector with huge opportunities – along with stiff competitive challenges – in a new and very different operating environment.

Sheikh Salem Abdul Aziz Al-Sabah, governor of the Central Bank of Kuwait, talks with Stephen Timewell.

Opportunities abound in Kuwait as its markets open and its banks and institutions become more outward looking. Stephen Timewell reports from Kuwait.

Saudi Arabia’s banks are enjoying the spoils of buoyant markets, with record-breaking profits spurring ground-breaking deals. Stephen Timewell reports.