The Bracken column

Bracken

The Bracken column is named after Brendan Bracken, the founding editor of The Banker in 1926 and chairman of the modern-day Financial Times from 1945 to 1958.

Latest articles from Bracken

London remains the financial capital of the world

June 1, 2011

A BNP Paribas Real Estate survey has found that 82% of respondents consider London to be the world's leading financial centre, helping to assuage fears that the financial crisis had weakened its position.

Has the banking industry moved too early on CoCos?

May 4, 2011

Regulators are desperate to find a capital instrument that provides a buffer for institutions, but also satisfies investors. Issuance, in a variety of forms, has already begun. But with so many questions still unanswered, have regulators and issuers moved too early?

Basel III drives operational risk rethink

March 18, 2011

As banks prepare for the implementation of Basel III, operational risk management needs to be a key area of focus.

Shareholders must join the debate on bankers' pay

February 14, 2011

Institutional shareholders have to accept a major share of the blame for bankers' excessive compensation, and at some point will have to up their game if they do not want to lose ever more influence on their businesses to politicians.

Wealth managers need to rebuild trust for disillusioned clients

January 28, 2011

This year will be a challenging one for the wealth management industry, with many clients increasingly disillusioned with their managers. Restoring trust must be a top priority, but with continuous product-pushing by the large bank groups, a failure to communicate with clients when it matters most and, perhaps most importantly, the lack of transparency in fee structures, an overhaul of how some wealth managers conduct themselves is needed.

Financial regulatory systems made simple

December 23, 2010

While the worst seems to be over for the financial sector, this is not a time for complacency or a return to business as usual. With the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act last July, US banking is entering a new era - but a workable system must be based on simplicity.

How Islamic finance can close the credibility gap

December 8, 2010

The Islamic banking and finance sector risks losing a golden opportunity to demonstrate an alternative system that could prevent a future credit crunch and share risks. With the conventional banking sector slowly coming to terms with its high-profile collapses and bailouts, and the Islamic sector suffering only mild aftershocks, why are savers and investors not flocking to sharia-compliant banking? Could Islamic finance lack a certain degree of credibility? And if so, why?

Rating the rating agencies

December 8, 2010

Credit rating agencies received a lot of publicity in the financial crisis. Famously they gave glittering ratings to investments which later became worthless.

Stress testing should be a habit, not a one-off

September 29, 2010

After the majority of European banks passed their landmark stress tests, equity markets climbed, credit default swap spreads tightened, high-risk sovereign debt rallied and the euro extended its gains against the dollar.

Who should decide on distributable income?

August 30, 2010

One of the most debated issues since the beginning of the financial crisis is the extent to which fair value accounting contributed to the stress faced by financial institutions. Contrary to what many observers believe, the recent accounting debate has focused less on the choice of measurement criteria - amortised cost or fair value - than on how changes in value should be reported in the income statements.

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