The effects of the European retreat from trade finance in Asia are now apparent as a number of players are stepping in and new trade patterns are taking shape. 

Hong Kong is the world’s offshore centre for the renminbi, and now other international centres are joining the Chinese currency’s path to internationalisation. But as additional pools of liquidity are being created, will the new centres dilute the existing offshore liquidity and create separate puddles rather than one large pool?

Ahead of Sibos 2012, Gottfried Leibbrandt, chief executive officer of the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, or Swift, sat down for an exclusive interview with The Banker to discuss the conference agenda and the company's position in a rapidly changing global landscape. 

The Dodd-Frank Act, Section 1073 is going to alter the practice of retail cross-border payments services – not just for US-based financial institutions but also for their correspondent banking relationships abroad. The deadline is near, but a practical solution to meet the requirements of the rule still seems far off. The Banker looks at some alternatives that have finally started to emerge.

The battle to persuade customers to ditch their traditional wallets in favour of a digitised version on their mobile phone has stepped up a notch in the past few months, with big technology and internet companies threatening the territory of the more familiar payment brands. Jane Cooper looks at who is making the early running in this war of the wallets. 

The availability of bank credit for small and medium-sized enterprises is often seen as a relative strength of the German economy, but borrowers themselves seem to harbour anxieties about their banks.

The need for scale, continuous investment as well as constraints on capital are pushing banks to reconsider whether they need to keep their merchant services divisions in house, or allow a non-bank player to step in.

The Russian government is pushing hard for more financing to find its way to the small and medium-sized enterprise sector, but opaque accounts and a shortage of management skills are deterring banks and private equity funds alike.

The transaction banking landscape is undergoing a period of significant change, leaving bankers with the task of navigating competitive and regulatory pressures while staying focused on innovation and operating efficiency. At a recent round table hosted by The Banker, a panel of industry experts discussed these issues and how they are often intertwined. The event, part of an ongoing series, was sponsored by Royal Bank of Scotland, but independently written and edited.