There is a feeling in some circles that as the East rises, the West must simultaneously decline. But why? Rising prosperity in Asia means more opportunities for businesses and banks in North America and Europe, and the only ones to suffer will be those who continue to think along 'East versus West' lines.

When the Macquarie and Eiffage consortium, Eiffarie, won a controlling stake in APRR, the highly leveraged French motorway company, Eiffarie knew it needed to gain quick access to the market to refinance APRR's loans. Eiffarie's team established a €6bn euro medium term note programme, and then in mid-November 2011 decided to return to the market with a €500m four-year deal to help repay its outstanding acquisition loan. The result defied even the most optimistic expectations.

The increasing might of China over the past decade has not been reflected in its currency. In 2010, China's share of world trade was 11.4%, while the renminbi's share in world payments was a mere 0.24%. The currency's route to internationalisation look set to be more marathon than sprint.

Senegal has established itself as one of sub-Saharan Africa’s most sophisticated economies in the past decade. Lacking the natural resources prevalent in many of the continent’s other fast-growing countries, its pillars of growth have been political stability and prudent fiscal management. But next month’s elections will put its credentials to the test.

With Colombia's GDP expected to rise by 5% for both 2011 and this year, and a growing sense of optimism across the country, president Juan Manuel Santos explains why he is buoyant over the future of a country once dogged by corruption and drug trafficking.

Russia's regional banks are often closer to their customers than the Moscow-based giants, but they can be hampered by a lack of both capital and transparency. While a new development fund is intended to change that, some critics argue that new capital adequacy requirements threaten their very existence.

Italy's recent debt problems can be traced back to years of mismanagement by the country's self-serving politicians on both sides of the political fence. Mario Monti's 'technocrat' government, however, offers hope of a short-term financial revival and a long-term rethink of the manner in which Italian politics is conducted.

After the Arab Spring uprisings, Tunisia's new democratically elected government has the task of attracting investment to the country and creating jobs for its youthful population. Its Jasmine Plan, which heavily involves the private sector, is intended to do just this.