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

As banks come to terms with the credit crisis and set about realigning their business strategies, The Banker CEO survey has reviewed opinion from across the sector. Writer Charles Piggott Research Isabel Buruma

A recent history of political turmoil has taught Lebanon to manage its risk carefully. Domestic banks’ highly conservative approach has not only helped insulate them from the crisis but means they are now attracting funds from local depositors who have lost confidence in foreign institutions. Writer Jules Stewart.

Many of the world’s top financial brands took a beating in 2008, but not every bank suffered. The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands listing puts a financial value on the leading brands and ranks them accordingly. Philip Alexander reports.

The heads of major international banks spoke to The Banker about the effects of the crisis, covering areas such as pay and incentives, strategies for funding, the implications for the free market orthodoxy and what opportunities for growth, if any, 2009 might bring.

The International Centre for Financial Regulation opens for business next month, providing training, conducting research and exploring new ways of policing the markets and all who work in them. Writer Michael Imeson.

The US government has agreed to pay $700bn to shore up the current financial system. European governments are enacting capital investments into their financial systems of similarly huge magnitudes. As part of this unprecedented government intervention, many are calling for restrictions on top banking executives’ pay. By John Thanassoulis.

The ongoing credit and capital market crisis has served as a reminder that markets in distress stop functioning normally. The gyrations of US treasury bill and note yields show there may not be a market at the expected price when needed. This affects all market participants, but particularly central banks. By Ousmène Jacques Mandeng.

As well as helping banks in the unsecured lending sector understand and respond to customer circumstances and ways of thinking, Visa Europe is also helping banks influence this behaviour. By Mark Austin of Visa Europe.

Whatever the market conditions, there are opportunities for all banks to invest in changing risk management to improve their financial performance, without compromising income or regulatory considerations. By Charles Stewart of Moody’s Analytics.