Thailand is suffering tumbling export receipts and a decline in business confidence and investment. Its recently installed minister of finance discusses how he plans to get the country through the crisis. Writer Simon Montlake

A set of good results from an international bank is all too rare an occurrence in the current financial climate but Standard Chartered showed it is possible by announcing last month that income rose by 26% and profits by 13% in 2008. Chief executive Peter Sands explains how it was done. Writer Brian Caplen

Insurance company Norwich Union's high-profile rebranding as Aviva has created a mammoth integration task for Veronique Arnoldi, new chief technology officer of its asset management division Aviva Investors.

In fact, the customer owns you – if they want to – while others think that banks are all the same

Drug company Roche made a rare foray into the markets recently, with BNP Paribas being among the bookrunners putting together its record-breaking euro bond deal to finance the purchase of US biotech firm Genentech. Writer Edward Russell-Walling

The president of the Inter-American Development Bank explains how it will be working to help Latin American and Caribbean countries to help themselves in 2009.

The managing director of Cairo based Citadel Capital talks to The Banker about opportunities in the region and the impact of the economic crisis on Egypt’s financial sector. Writer Charlie Corbett.