New technology is needed to keep pace with the speed and volume of credit derivatives trades. The first step must be for all the players in the market to buy into the need for change, says Dan Barnes.

Société Générale’s chief information officer René Querret tells Dan Barnes why the French bank is increasingly using third-party IT providers and of the complications that can occur.

Some banks are outsourcing their ATM function to increase margins but others are still looking for ways to offer new transactions at their machines. Dan Barnes reports on the latest developments.

Trade in whole mortgage loans is brisk in the UK, while Germany and the Netherlands show potential, but the booming European market’s main player is American. Michael Marray reports.

Although not yet in general use, biometrics are slowly being tested and adopted in the banking sphere as a way of increasing security, Wendy Atkins reports.

The Middle East is enjoying an investment boom but risks leaving the poor further behind. Microfinance can help to improve their prospects but it will take more than loans alone. Rula Dababneh explains.

The EC’s Markets in Financial Instruments Directive will affect buy-side firms from April 2007, obliging them to create a policy for best execution. But as Dan Barnes reports, many of them are still not taking the change seriously.

The European Commission wants to boost efficiency in the mortgage market by creating a single European market for the sector. But care needs to be taken in establishing such a market, which must be free and open.

ING Direct is a prime example of success in direct banking. Its competitive edge comes from keeping costs low, measuring its performance at every level of customer contact and relying on a real-time, integrated core banking system.

Cutting costs while improving customer service may sound contradictory, yet that’s what a number of organisations are claiming can be achieved if banks adopt their systems.Wendy Atkins reports.