The no-nonsense style of France’s finance minister has won her many admirers. She tells The Banker of how she intends to tackle the hardest task of her tenure, that of regulating France and Europe’s post-crisis banking landscape. Writer Silvia Pavoni

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil

Brazil is widely tipped for economic greatness. Its leader revealed the vision behind the country's moves to growth during a keynote speech at a recent Financial Times investment conference.

As the world's leaders debate the role of banking and how best to regulate it, there are many elements of Islamic banking that could provide guidelines.

James Flaherty, finance minister of Canada

With the rise of the G-20, some commentators have written off the G-7. Canada's finance minister James Flaherty dismisses this idea. He spoke to Brian Caplen at the IMF/World Bank meetings last month.

Firing the chief executives responsible for mismanaging Nigeria's banks has been the first step to fixing the country's financial problems. Now the system is more transparent, Central Bank of Nigeria governor Lamido Sanusi is spelling out his vision for banking reform and stability. Writer Peter Guest

Syria's banking sector has made great strides in the past two decades, but is still dominated by small regional banks. Now the country's government is looking to major global names to take its economy forward. Writer Brian Caplen

The Philippines' finance minister says that the archipelago's economy has remained relatively resilient during the downturn compared with its export-dependent neighbours. But the budget deficit remains an ongoing problem. Writer Michelle Price