Sepa, the European Commission’s plan to create a domestic environment for euro payments, has launched. However, as Frances Maguire reports, the process has just begun on what will be a very long journey.

Islamic finance is growing fast in the Gulf region as banks look for new growth opportunities, but it is also making inroads into non-Muslim markets, writes Stephen Timewell.

Argentina needs to arrest the high inflation that is hindering the development of long-term capital markets. Jason Mitchell reports.

Poland’s thriving stock exchange is attracting eastern European companies seeking lower costs. Ben Aris reports.

Malta is throwing itself fully into the eurozone, which it joined in January, with plans to issue a Eurobond. Nick Kochan reports on how EU membership and the single currency have shaped the economy.

Edward Russell-Walling reports on how Belgium kept its nerve despite increasing market instability.

So-called ‘frontier markets’ hold no fears for some investors. Edward Russell-Walling reports on how broker-cum-investment bank Exotix went digging for profits in the zinc mines of Yemen.

As write-downs hit, many banks are being left with no alternative but to raise more capital this year. Some believe that hybrid securities will be the favoured approach, others believe that market conditions will make the equity and equity-linked markets the easier route. Neil Sen reports.

In some cases two heads are better than one, and the managing directors and co-heads of global corporate finance at Deutsche Bank have got global client management down to a fine art using the partnership approach, as Kathryn Tully discovers.

A successful brand will deliver a better customer experience, higher revenues and more profits. The Banker’s Top 500 Financial Brands listing puts a financial value on the leading brands and ranks them accordingly. Report by Michael Imeson.