ABN AMRO's Alexandra Cook and Steven Gregg highlight why financial market strategies should be built on industry sector dynamics and knowledge of global and local markets.

While the consultation continues on how the EU might achieve a harmonised infrastructure for cross-border transactions, Frances Maguire finds that another highly charged debate is going on: should ICSDs and CSDs compete with global custodian and agent banks?
When is a bank, not a bank? When it’s an international central securities depository (ICSD). At present, both Europe’s ICSDs, Euroclear and Clearstream, are banks, and despite moves by Euroclear to restructure its banking and its depositories into separate entities, and the European Commission’s accusation that Clearstream is abusing its “dominant supplier position”, the fact still remains that both ICSDs offer “bank accounts” to their securities customers that do not pay interest.

Parveen Bansal talks to Mr Andreas Treichl, CEO of Erste Bank, to learn how and why the bank spread its wings across central Europe.
Founded in Austria in 1819 by a Catholic priest to help devout people save money for difficult times, Erste Bank today is home to the savings of around 12 million customers across central Europe.
“When we went public in 1997, we set several targets, one of which was to become the leading retail banking service provider in the region,” says CEO Andreas Treichl.
The bank is already benefiting from the unusual decision in 1990 to focus on retail banking in central Europe.

The global debit transaction market is set to grow this year, with Europe leading the way. Wendy Atkins reports.

Parveen Bansal talks to Bertrand Lavayssičre, head of Capgemini’s Global Financial Services Sector and managing director of Financial Services North American Region.
Speaking with extensive experience on consulting and IT in financial services, Bertrand Lavayssičre shares Capgemini’s view on the main issues in the financial services industry and their possible solutions. He highlights three key issues that continue to plague retail banks: creating customer loyalty, integrating different channels and, in particular, the need to reduce back office costs.

An improbable mix of coincidence, personal ingenuity and innovative technology gave Iraq a sorely needed payments system.

The progression towards commercial banks marking their loans to market seems almost inevitable, says Sophie Roell in New York. A new tool from Moody’s KMV can help banks to price loans and, more importantly, could help them with value management.

Few institutions are able to implement strategic programmes for dealing with new regulatory and governance regimes and this has a greater negative impact on smaller organisations, says Anthony Gandy.