Who needs science fiction when the real thing is much more amazing? In this month’s cover story “Quantum Leap, Trading Faster Than the Speed of Light”, technology editor Dan Barnes explores how the demands of the trading desk for capacity and speed are bumping up against the laws of physics.

Many of the solutions being worked on in the lab are truly fantastic. They involve using pulses of light to transfer data through crystals and a process called quantum mechanical tunnelling, which allows chips to function at sizes of less than 10 nanometres (a nanometre is one billionth of a metre).

But traders’ hopes of remote working from a desert island may have been dashed. The competition for speed is now so intense that the physical proximity of the trading desk has become a factor in performance.

The physics of trading is not the only aspect of finance that is ratcheting up in complexity. Basel II is catching up fast and there are now fears about its successful implementation, as Michael Imeson reports on page 26.

Later this month, delegates will be gathering in Belo Horizonte in Brazil for the annual meeting of the InterAmerican Development Bank (IDB). With this in mind, The Banker has put together a special Latin American editorial package, including an interview with Mexico’s foreign minister Luis Ernesto Derbez; a Viewpoint from the new president of the IDB, Luis A Moreno; an interview with the central bank governor of Chile, Vittorio Corbo; an article about banking in Guatemala and a listing of the Top 100 Central American banks.

In capital markets, we look at the challenges of making a living out of equities and of dealing with aggressive FX clients. Porsche’s CFO explains why the company doesn’t need a rating and our Agenda column is an interview with JPMorgan’s head of investment banking for Europe, Klaus Diederichs.

In retail, Barclays boss of international retail and commercial banking David Roberts explains his strategy, and there are articles on dormant accounts and using mobile phones as part of a microfinance initiative. The IFC’s new ethical guidelines are studied as part of our commitment to corporate and social responsibility.

From other parts of the world, we have interviews with Thai central bank governor Pridiyathorn DevakulaThe Banker’s central bank governor of the year for Asia – and Peter Staarup, CEO of Denmark’s Danske Bank, which has two banks in Ireland.

There are reports on Russia’s fast growing banks, German real estate, Bahrain and Lebanon as well as a special supplement on MiFID.

Last but not least, we have the photographs from The Banker’s 80th anniversary celebrations, which took place on February 14 in London.

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