Devastating floods and political instability saw Thailand's economy grind to a halt in late 2011. However, the country's banks have emerged relatively unscathed, and with its economy now growing at a good pace, the country is looking forward to experiencing good times similar to those that its south-east Asian neighbours have enjoyed.

Bank of America’s global head of technology and operations discusses the lender's technology priorities and explains how simplifying and consolidating its systems will enable future innovation and growth.

Little is understood of India's banking sector outside of the vast country. The Banker talks to the chairmen and CEOs of 15 of India’s leading banks about their strategies, prospects and the huge opportunities presented by the country's large unbanked population.  

Visa and MasterCard have evolved in recent years both inside and out, developing from bank-owned associations into public companies. Now they are facing external pressures of alternative payment schemes and a payments world that is rapidly moving beyond cards.

The loans scandal at Kabul Bank, which led to its collapse in 2010, hit not only Afghanistan's already fragile financial sector but also the country's political stability. But as those held responsible for the fraud have been brought to justice and more stringent legislation is put in place, the confidence of international backers is beginning to return.

The need for scale, continuous investment as well as constraints on capital are pushing banks to reconsider whether they need to keep their merchant services divisions in house, or allow a non-bank player to step in.

A sharp increase in provisioning requirements is likely to drive consolidation in the Spanish banking sector. But the country's largest banks – many of which have remained profitable thanks to their operations in other regions – are cautious about what may lurk on the balance sheets of the troubled savings banks.