UBS has endured a catastrophic three years. Now, under the stewardship of former Credit Suisse chief Oswald Grübel, the bank is attempting to restore its reputation and revive its business. Geraldine Lambe reports.
Bank of Greece, Athens: EU officials visited the Greek capital in January to assess the government's crisis strategy
The leading Greek banks had retained relatively conservative business models at home prior to the financial crisis, but market fears about government debt make the downturn even harder to manage. Writer Philip Alexander
The University of Copenhagen's professor of international economics evaluates stimulus policies and explains why it is time to start implementing exit strategies from them, despite the doubts that remain over the recovery.
Small change: Hypo Group Alpe Adria was nationalised late last year for the sum of €3
The nationalisation of Austria's Hypo Alpe Adria had more to do with regulation and ownership models than exposure to emerging Europe. Writer Philip Alexander
As customer dissatisfaction with the UK's existing high street banks intensifies, new entrants are sprouting - many of which are extensions of established retail brands, striving to create the winning formula using their innate consumer insight. Will these new operations pose a sustained threat to the existing ones? Writer Michelle Price
The no-nonsense style of France’s finance minister has won her many admirers. She tells The Banker of how she intends to tackle the hardest task of her tenure, that of regulating France and Europe’s post-crisis banking landscape. Writer Silvia Pavoni
Turkey's government, led by prime minister Tayyip Erdogan, is exploring alternatives to an IMF loan to finance its budget deficit
Facing an exploding budget deficit and enormous domestic debts, the Turkish government continues to have a ravenous appetite for borrowing, but still wants to avoid funds from the IMF. Writer Metin Demirsar
Despite the downturn, share prices on the Istanbul Stock Exchange are soaring on the strength of the country's banks, as global liquidity and optimism return. Writer Metin Demirsar
Turkish banks, cushioned by regulations implemented in the wake of the country's financial crisis of 2001, have been largely sheltered from the recent global crisis and the majority of those listed in The Banker's 2009 rankings posted double-digit profit on capital. Writer Geraldine Lambe
Badly hit: London's financial sector was one of the biggest sufferers of the credit crunch
Although the top 10 EU banks retained their solid grip on the 2008 ranking, profits were significantly down across the board and capital structures were seriously damaged compared with banks in other parts of the world. Writer Stephen Timewell
Signs of the times: apartments for sale and rent in Javea on the Costa Blanca
The collapse in Spanish property prices and the rise in loan defaults and toxic assets has left the cajas - the 45 mutuals responsible for more than half of the country's mortgage lending - staring consolidation in the face in a bid for survival. Writer Jules Stewart
Close adherence to international regulatory standards has protected Madrid's financial system from embroilment in the subprime market that has so badly harmed rival centres New York, London and Paris. Yet Spain's flailing economy must be tended to if Madrid is to rise as a dynamic alternative. Writer Rodrigo Amaral
Malta might be tiny but it is determined to make itself heard on the world stage. Dr Lawrence Gonzi, prime minister of Malta, explains how. Writer Michael Imeson
In a ranking that was expected to show a new order of the world's banks, the positions held by the strongest European lenders are surprisingly unchanged. The top three institutions in western Europe are still HSBC, Crédit Agricole and Royal Bank of Scotland. The only difference is that now it is the UK government-owned bank RBS that leads the list, with nearly $102bn in Tier 1 capital, a 14.5% increase since last year's figure.
Merrill Lynch's orchestration of the EDF purchase of British Energy was one of the most complex and drawn-out deals of its kind ever undertaken. Writer Edward Russell-Walling
Although France's banking sector has been dealt a few blows during the past two years, its retail sector remains strong compared with its European peers. Writer Wendy Atkins
Although not caught at the epicentre of the financial hurricane, the Portuguese economy's hopes of an upturn after four years of slow growth have been hit by the global recession. However, the country's trade links with Africa and Latin America and its lack of subprime exposure are giving some cause for optimism. Writer Peter Wise
Greece's service-based economy has been less exposed to the global downturn than elsewhere in Europe, but a positive outlook for 2009 will largely depend on how the tourist industry performs and whether lines of credit will remain available to smaller businesses. Writer Kerin Hope
Port of Piraeus: Greece's shipping sector has suffered from a major drop in freight rates
The Dutch financial scene has undergone some fundamental changes in the past few months, including four nationalisations, the reversal of the predator/victim relationship in the Fortis/ABN AMRO takeover and injections of state capital into three other financial institutions. Writer Michael Imeson.
Loved and loathed in equal measure, the euro reaches its 10th anniversary under greater scrutiny than at any point in its history, as the credit crisis tests member countries’ ability to address their individual problems within EMU. Writer Geraldine Lambe.
Austrian banks and companies have been looking to central and eastern Europe for growth – a successful strategy that will continue, reports Geraldine Lambe.
Greece’s avoidance of complex banking products means it has weathered the downturn better than other European countries. Now it is stealing a march on bigger economies by expanding into its near neighbours. Writer Stephen Timewell.
Two years of consolidation have transformed the landscape of Italian banking – and in the process the country’s financial institutions have become experts in extracting maximum value from merging companies. Writer David Lane.
The Dresdner and Postbank deals look like big news and might increase competitiveness, but what effect will they really have on the German banking landscape? Writer Michael Marray.
Portugal’s businesses have had to adjust to the financial climate change as the credit crunch makes itself felt, leaving simple funding a thing of the past. Writer Peter Wise.
UK banks may have taken significant hits on their profit and loss accounts as a result of the subprime crisis, but they have also strengthened their capital and balance sheets significantly. Writer Stephen Timewell.
Unlisted French financial institutions have demonstrated the merits of their conservative strategies, which have made them more resilient than their listed competitors in the face of market pressure. Karina Robinson reports.
Bank of Greece, Athens: EU officials visited the Greek capital in January to assess the government's crisis strategy
Niels Thygesen
Small change: Hypo Group Alpe Adria was nationalised late last year for the sum of €3
Left to right: Noah Bulkin and John Lynch 
Axel Pierron, senior vice-president at Celent
