2005 - The Banker

Listing shows how far and how fast China has travelled

When China begins listing its giant state-owned banks on capitalist stock exchanges, the world has definitely changed beyond all recognition. The story of China Construction Bank’s (CCB) route to the Hong Kong bourse is full of thrills and spills. Contributing editor Sophie Roell recounts the entire tale on page 76.

• Read More December

RBS proves there is no success unless you put spin on it

For the past eight years in Britain, we have “laboured” under a government consisting of mostly spin and very little substance. Time and again, vital public sector reform has been fudged – public sector pensions being the latest example – because prime minister Tony Blair is preoccupied with his media image and has little appetite for taking tough decisions that upset domestic interest groups.

• Read More November

Investment banks should disclose more about their earnings

Investment banks are notoriously secretive about their earnings. They argue that to disclose more would give away competitive advantage. But aren’t shareholders and regulators entitled to a fuller picture of exactly how they make their money? As a first step in understanding the situation, in this month’s cover story we publish the best information available on the primary markets and look at the size of the secondary business.

• Read More October

The Banker Awards widen the net to find the world’s best

The Banker is famous for going to the parts of the world that other magazines don’t reach and at awards time we really excel ourselves. This year, we notched up another five countries to receive our famous Bracken awards, taking the total to 138.

• Read More September

Philippines’ leader steadies herself for a bumpy ride to reform

Political life is seldom dull in the Philippines. Two past presidents – Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada – have been brought down by popular demonstrations. Now President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is fighting to stay in office and carry out essential reforms. “I must do what has to be done and damn the torpedoes for a while,” she told The Banker’s senior editor, Karina Robinson. For an understanding of the various contradictory forces that make reform such a challenge in this troubled country, see this month’s Karina’s Kolumn and the article on the Philippines that follows.

• Read More August

Top 1000 reveals latest episode in banks’ success story

Welcome to the largest edition of The Banker ever produced in nearly 80 years of publishing history. At 328 pages, our July issue is a veritable gold mine of articles, interviews, facts and figures. Taking pride of place is, of course, our annual Top 1000 ranking of world banks.

• Read More July

UBS vs Credit Suisse: A lesson in corporate strategy for all CEOs

UBS and Credit Suisse will always be compared because of their Swiss origins. But the lessons to be learned from this month’s cover story have nothing to do with nationality and everything to do with international corporate strategies: one that worked and one that failed.

• Read More June

BRIC countries are the world economy’s building blocks

The fortunes of the world economy over the next decade depend on what happens in the BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia, India and China. All with large populations and hungry for growth, they are already reshaping global commerce and they have the potential to change it even more. In this issue of The Banker we focus on all four. With international banks engrossed by China, our cover story looks at the best banks to buy and provides a Top 50 of Chinese banks. Potential buyers read on.

• Read More May

Key policymakers outline strategies for transforming Africa

If Africa is to change then key figures in Africa have to make it happen. This month, The Banker identifies eight of the major policymakers on the continent, their strategies for reform and their plans as architects of the renaissance. From South Africa’s Trevor Manuel to Congo’s Joseph Kabila, we look at the prospects, opportunities and challenges.

• Read More April

Financial institutions groups have become big business

Three editorial specials are brought to you this month by The Banker’s staff. They are the business of the financial institutions groups (FIGs) that now account for 50% or more of revenues in the major investment banks; corporate social responsibility (CSR), which has become a critical part of every bank’s thinking; and our special coverage for the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) annual meeting in Okinawa in April.

• Read More March

Talent spotting is a vital job

Banks that fail to spot new talent have a poor future ahead of them. The root cause of many a corporate crisis can be traced back to a very bad management promotion leaving the person who was best qualified for the job to depart to a rival institution.

• Read More February

Core Banking

• Transformation or Replication?
  
• Time for a Change at the Core
  
• Preparing for Future Fusion
  
• Staying Ahead
  
• System Upgrades on a Tight Budget

• Read More January