A fall in oil prices brought Angola to its knees two years ago. A deal with the IMF has helped the economy to stabilise and signs of growth can be seen in Luanda, but to avoid a repeat of such economic hardship, more structural reforms are needed to make the country attractive for business.
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Islamic banks eye corporate SME space
June 1, 2011While Islamic financial institutions have been active in offering retail products and investment banking services, regular corporate banking has tended to fall through the gaps. Now banks are correcting the balance.
Exploitation of ultra-deep water blocks set to multiply Angola's oil wealth
June 1, 2011New measures have been put in place to ensure Angola's local economy benefits from moves allowing international oil companies to develop the country's newly licensed deep-water reserves.
Competition heats up for eastern Europe equity listings
June 1, 2011The trend toward giant international stock exchanges highlights the value of listing on a more specialised market for companies in central and eastern Europe. Warsaw and Vienna are competing for that business.
Will exchange consolidation be derailed by politics?
June 1, 2011As exchanges attempt to forge international relationships, local regulators, banks and politicians are voicing concerns about a loss of sovereignty and influence. Could opposition derail the deals?
Objections will ultimately only delay exchange consolidation
June 1, 2011Protestations concerning nationalism, protectionism and anti-trust legislation could jeopardise plans to merge global stock exchanges, but are unlikely to stop deals in their tracks.
Deals of the Year 2011
May 19, 2011The Banker’s Deals of the Year for 2011 celebrate the most impressive transactions in FIG capital raising, M&A, corporate bonds, SSA bonds, infrastructure and project finance, loans, structured finance, equities, restructuring and Islamic finance.
Private and investment banking move closer, not further apart
May 4, 2011While regulators and politicians may want investment banking to be split off from private banking, in the industry the two are moving more closely together than before the crisis.
Germany returns to structured products centre stage
May 4, 2011The German structured products market is growing steadily again and providers are involved in an intense battle for market share.
Credit Suisse defied CoCo critics with $2bn issue
May 4, 2011Contingent capital is still the subject of furious debate. Some have called it a dangerous instrument, while others say it may not do what regulators want. Some argue that it will be difficult to create a market big enough to absorb the needs of the banking sector if it becomes a compulsory part of the capital structure. But none of this stopped Credit Suisse's $2bn issue from being a storming success.