It’s cold out there in the markets and in the freezing conditions, merger and acquisition activity has slowed to a virtual standstill. But the market is not entirely dead, and if necessity is the mother of invention, it can also be the mother of the M&A deal. Writer Joanne Hart.

Having enjoyed a major boom in volumes over the past five years, the FX market needs to address its processing operations and cost model. Tony White, managing director at Wall Street Systems, discusses how these problems can be combatted. Writer Michelle Price.

As the world’s banking behemoths battle it out to grab market share from the growing band of corporate giants in Asia, they could be overlooking the real opportunity on the continent. Writer Charlie Corbett.

While the current market turmoil has slowed lending volumes, the industry is still going ahead with tackling the processing inefficiencies of the secondary loan market. Writer Frances Maguire.

Barclays’ acquisition of Lehman’s US operations, while being a risky move, could be one of the most profitable gambles to come out of the credit crisis if the bank can conquer the American market. Writer Geraldine Lambe.

David Hodgkinson, group chief operating officer at HSBC, talks about the credit crisis, and how the banking industry is likely to change going forward.

Western governments have been forced to take massive stakes in the world’s biggest banks in order to shore up their capital bases. When the dust settles, what will be the implications of a part government-owned financial sector? Writer Charlie Corbett.

This autumn’s shocking crash in the markets and failure of major banks has made pariahs of traders around the world. What does the future hold? By Michelle Price.

As the investment banking sector emerges wounded from the credit crunch, will the sector ever be the same? As Wall Street weakens, will the power shift elsewhere, and what are the chances of the banking behemoth rising again? Geraldine Lambe reports.

Current WTO negotiations are encouraging a negative trend towards bilateralism and regionalism.