The fall-out from the Lehman Brothers collapse exposed the true extent of risk in the over-the-counter derivatives market and highlighted the need for change. While there is still no clear path for the market's future, it is not too difficult to anticipate what the Obama administration has in store for the sector. Writer Janet Lewis

On the surface, it may seem that the EU's 2007 MiFID legislation, which aimed to create a pan-European investment market on a level playing field, has changed little. However, a closer analysis reveals an industry in the process of change, as new upstarts make inroads and traditional exchanges respond with new technology. Writer Chris Skinner

While the Western world has been struggling through the global financial crisis, Latin America has shown a remarkable resilience to the upheaval. Two countries in particular - Colombia and Peru - are showing particularly impressive growth, and look set to become important emerging economies. Writer Jason Mitchell

Although challenged by adverse economic conditions and increasing competition in the market, on the whole Taiwan's banks managed to record modest profit growth during 2008. Writer Charles Piggott

The regulatory authorities of Islamic finance have been working to bring greater clarity to the relatively young sukuk asset class, but the market will need time to digest the implications. Writer Philip Alexander

The FSA's new regime to plug the holes in the UK's liquidity risk management system is being criticised by the sector as overzealous and potentially harmful. Michelle Price reports.

European law-makers are overhauling the way in which the financial system and the firms that operate within it are supervised. Writer Michael Imeson

At their annual meeting last month, the Caricom heads of state struggled to make headway on trade and immigration restrictions, although one issue which was met with unanimity was climate change.

The financial crisis has dramatically undermined consumer trust in the retail banking industry. It is now more vital than ever that banks are able to efficiently and effectively communicate with their customers. In this Masterclass, Howard Boville, head of global banking at BT, and Gary Bennett, director of service provider development at Avaya, discuss how banks can model their communications and technology infrastructure in order to improve the quality of their customer service. Writer Michelle Price

The impact of the financial crisis has been felt particularly hard in the wealth management industry, where client trust is low, the appetite for risk has disappeared, and customers are expecting frequent and time-consuming reassurances from their wealth managers. Writer Silvia Pavoni