Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, CEO of Access Bank, tells The Banker of his plans for a top five Nigerian listing by 2010 and his vision of establishing a pan-African presence.

Nigeria’s retail environment is developing fast, says Nick Kochan, but further growth is hampered by the absence of a credit checking system and a national ID card.

Nigerian banks are beginning to realise that they can build their customer bases and raise efficiency by participating in mobile banking, says Wendy Atkins.

Bank consolidation continues and capital adequacy has improved but what is needed in the sector is a new culture that will attract new customers to boost the bottom line. Nick Kochan reports.

Trouble is brewing for the Mexican government as it attempts to overhaul the country’s pension fund system. Theresa Braine reports from Mexico City.

With larger companies shifting to China, Filipino banks have been focusing on their retail clients as well as the mid-sized enterprise market. Dan Barnes reports.

With oil deposits discovered and tourism and FDI booming, Nick Freeman reports from Phnom Penh on the nascent development of Cambodia’s banking sector.

The demand for microcredit loans in India is estimated at about Rs600bn ($13.5bn), four-fifths of which is met by informal finance or money lenders. With about a third of its billion-strong population still living in poverty, India is one of the largest markets for microfinance.

With EU accession and a strengthening economy, Romanians may be increasingly positive about their future, but tough challenges remain. Neil Tyler reports.

Banesto is 89% owned by Santander and is run as a quasi-autonomous entity. Banesto’s small size relative to its parent ensures that it can be used as “a trial bank or a laboratory” for new technology and as a business model, which (if successful) can then be implemented across the group, chairman Ana Patricia Botín, told The Banker in a past interview.