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

Rupiah Banda, the new president of Zambia talks about his vision for transforming the southern African state's economy in the light of a severe economic downturn. Writer Charlie Corbett in Cape Town