With prompt corrective action procedures in place, banks would be made to recapitalise themselves at a far earlier stage.

Bad times call for grand schemes, and bankers, advisers and economists are scraping around for fixes and explanations including forced mergers and the axing of the Basel capital regime. Writer Nick Kochan.

Lázaro Campos, Swift’s CEO of 18 months, discusses the institution’s critics and competitors, and why Swift will always upset someone.

The European commissioner for the internal market has been at the forefront of the Sepa initiative since taking up office in 2004. Here, he answers the market’s criticisms of the project and discusses how it has been handled at European level.

Political intrigue and a lack of leadership might yet kill the European Commission’s vision of a Single Euro Payments Area. Writer Michelle Price.

The Single Euro Payments Area, MiFID, the Target 2 Securities initiative and the Thomson-Reuters megamerger are among the hot topics at this year’s SIBOS.

The UK Faster Payments Service heralds a new epoch for payments. Although there are obvious benefits to individuals in terms of convenience and certainty of payment, the potential benefits to business and the economy are even greater. Martin Kearsley, director of strategy at VocaLink, explains how the infrastructure was designed and its potential benefits to consumers and businesses alike.

The EU’s introduction of T2S is designed to enable easy movement across jurisdictions and bring down costs.

While most market participants are suffering from the global turmoil, RBC-Dexia Investment Services is enjoying the benefits of a risk-averse strategy. Writer Nick Kochan.

The US still looks like the preferred jurisdiction for those claiming damages over subprime-related losses, but the growth of litigation funding could create new opportunities in Europe. Writer Philip Alexander.