The Bracken column is named after Brendan Bracken, the founding editor of The Banker in 1926 and chairman of the modern-day Financial Times from 1945 to 1958.

In the current climate, there has been a marked increase in the willingness of stakeholders to litigate their financial services disputes. Given cost constraints, however, there is also a desire to settle financial disputes out of court or in a tribunal if at all possible. It is therefore a pertinent time to examine the attempted harmonisation across EU member states of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) schemes for financial disputes, especially as the results of the responses to the European Commission's December 2008 consultation paper in this area were published in September.

H E Rasheed Al-Maraj, Governor, Central Bank of Bahrain

The malaise that has hit the world's economies has left Bahrain relatively unscathed, leaving the country to concentrate on its Islamic finance offerings.

The Thai finance minister's belief that the global crisis has presented the country with an opportunity to reshape its economy has seen him unleash plans for greater use of the capital markets, diversified exports and a boost in domestic consumption. Writer Brian Caplen

Farhat Bengdara, the governor of the Central Bank of Libya talks to Stephen Timewell about the strategies in place to reform the banking sector and achieve non-oil-dependent growth.

Mexico's finance minister discusses the country's close relationship with the US, and whether the banking sector should play a bigger role in reactivating Mexico's stuttering economy. Writer Jane Monahan

The governor of Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas talks about how the central bank took swift and effective action to ensure that the Philippines was not badly hit by the credit crunch. But he warns that exiting a liberal monetary policy stance may bring its own risks. Writer Michelle Price

Global leaders must find a common policy to tackle climate change, and must do so immediately, regardless of the additional challenges posed by the economic downturn.

Chile's prudent fiscal policies have enabled it to weather the global recession well. The county's finance minister explains the thinking behind them. Writer Jason Mitchell

There is a meeting of minds around the world on how best to reform the financial system, but enforcing these principles in a consistent way will still be difficult.