While much of Europe has struggled over the past few years, the Polish economy has remained resilient, maintaining a sound banking system and hitting its inflation targets. This is why the president of the National Bank of Poland, Marek Belka, is remaining cautious on the topic of eurozone membership, and has no intention of opting into the European banking union.

For new regulation to be effective, it must be adaptable to new innovations, strike the balance between simplicity and complexity, and be coherent across sectors and regions, according to Andreas Dombret of the Deutsche Bundesbank.

With a number of eye-watering fines emanating from the US in recent years, The Banker profiles the numerous regulators that are dishing out these punishments, and looks at how they police the world's largest financial market.

The European – and indeed global – economy is facing a crucial six months. Central to this is the European Central Bank's Comprehensive Assessment, which will go a long way to boosting confidence within the EU.

South Africa’s growth has been sluggish of late but the country’s financial sector remains one of the world’s most sophisticated, while the government’s reforms are allowing businesses to tap into fast-growing markets in the rest of sub-Saharan Africa more easily.

A ruling in the US judiciary system regarding Argentina’s debt restructuring has caused ructions in international markets. The country’s minister of economy and public finance presents Argentina’s position on this case.

The debt crisis is not Argentina’s only problem. The authorities also need to put the county back on a sustainable growth path. 

Japan's unemployment rate may be shrinking but behind this headline figure lurks problems such as low labour mobility and excessive reliance on part-time employment. These are deep-rooted issues that new government initiatives are trying to flush out.

Rather than sit back and enjoy its economic prosperity, Saudi Arabia is working on further strengthening its economic future by investing in education, encouraging the small and medium-sized enterprise sector and promoting private sector employment.

The development of mobile financial services in Tanzania is bringing the high number of unbanked residents into the financial system.