The banking sector often needs to exchange confidential information as part of its routine business, which opens it up to potential fraud. Kris Sangani reports on security measures to prevent such disasters.

Marcus Treacher of HSBC tells Dan Barnes about the rationale for its technology strategy and why banks that can think like treasurers and CFOs will beat the competition.
The tech vision of Marcus Treacher, head of global transaction banking e-Strategy at HSBC, is firmly rooted in using the SWIFT network and the ‘value added’ services that can be provided to customers.

Vneshtorgbank is using its acquisition of Guta Bank to build up its retail services, planning more branches and aiming for a leading role in the mortgage market. By Brian Caplen.
Russian state-owned Vneshtorgbank is pushing ahead on the retail front, aiming to claim an 8%-10% share of the market by 2010. During that period, total assets are expected to rise from $15bn to $35bn, including a forecast rise in mortgages from $150m to $2bn and in consumer lending from $300m to $3bn.

To earn $1, diversified banks spend about 60 cents. A convoluted set of financial services processes, fragmented systems and legacy interfaces affect structural expense. Continual processing and system errors cause frequent rework and ineffective controls.

Technological developments herald the death of plastic as customers can now be identified via biometrics – or chips in their clothing before they have even entered the bank. By Chris Skinner.

Applications can now be built from components that can be recycled and reused. Dan Barnes reports on how banks are reducing the need to design systems from scratch.
It seems that every three letter abbreviation – or TLA – heralds the next big thing (or NBT) in information communications technology (or ICT). The latest push from technology providers’ marketing departments is service-oriented architecture (SOA).

To make the radical change from selling products to services, Jose Valino, CIO at Spanish savings bank Caixa Galicia, uses consultants wisely and co-operates with other banks on technology development. He tells Dan Barnes about bridging the gap between the business and IT departments and helping customers to understand the new systems.

Wendy Atkins looks at how credit cards can help both governments and corporations to save money and time, while keeping tabs on overall spending in a transparent, auditable way.

Bank Austria Creditanstalt is no longer a competitor but a subsidiary of UniCredit in central and southern Europe.Stephen Timewell considers the Austrian bank’s retail prospects.

Mortgages could be the next big thing in Russia if the retail banks and the Kremlin have their way.