Editing a magazine that has reached the venerable age of 80 demands a certain amount of humility. A publication can last 20 or 30 years with founders’ enthusiasm and connections still pushing it along.

But an octogenarian is by definition a work of several generations. It is the editing equivalent of walking on hallowed ground and requires appropriate respect.

There are many ways of gauging an 80-year time span but, for one, witness the photo of The Banker’s founder Brendan Bracken, on page 28, in his waistcoat and chain and with “his unusual appearance, red carrot hair, white skin and bad teeth”. Will The Banker’s journalistic heirs in 2086 be describing our current staff in such vivid terms? Obviously, yes. And will they seem as antique? Probably – given the ever increasing rate of technological and social change – even more so.

But as old fashioned as Mr Bracken’s demeanour and manners may seem to us now, the editorial principles that he professed have stood the test of time. What a coup it must have seemed to have the young John Maynard Keynes writing for you and to be delivering the latest tenets of economic debate to a high-level audience of decision makers.

In this 80th anniversary edition of The Banker we have tried our utmost to replicate the original Banker offering of informed comment from the world’s best brains on pertinent issues, replacing only the dateline of January 1926 with that of January 2006.

China’s finance minister Jin Renqing, IMF managing director Rodrigo de Rato, Opec president Sheikh Ahmad, Poland’s former central bank governor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, Standard Chartered’s CEO Mervyn Davies, Credit Suisse head of research Giles Keating and IT visionary Nicholas Carr are among the luminaries that have contributed to a glorious debate covering China’s rural poor, the role of the IMF, world energy needs and banking in transition countries.

In addition, The Banker’s journalists have contributed special articles on great innovators in the capital markets, the increasing complexity and power of multinational corporations, the debate about flat tax, African development, the history of the post office in banking and the origins of banking technology. There are also articles on The Banker’s history and the evolution of our Top 1000 banks listing.

To celebrate with us in style we invited CEOs from major banks around the world to update us on their country and their institution (see Question Time on page 60).

As every January, we have our Central Bank Governors and Finance Ministers of the year. Karina’s Kolumn is an interview with Charlie McCreevy, EU commissioner in charge of the internal market and services, while the Bracken column looks at the future of European Monetary Union. (Other regulars dropped to make space in the 80th anniversary issue will be back next month.) Our listings cover the Top 100 African banks and we have special supplements on operational risk, China and Barbados.

We don’t imagine that if Brendon Bracken were still alive, he would be exactly gushing in his praise of our efforts. It just wasn’t his style. But we’ll settle for grudging respect from the founder and knuckle down to the heirloom.

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