The Turkish government has plans to transform Istanbul into an international financial centre complete with specialised courts to deal with international business disputes and a carbon exchange. However, sceptics are already denouncing the project as a pipedream.
World
Latest articles from World
The NPL threat to Turkey's progress
May 5, 2010As Turkey pulls out of its economic slump, its relatively unscathed banks are ready to finance growth and are increasing lending and planning significant expansion. However, a growing problem of non-performing loans may stifle recovery and put the brakes on their ambition.
World
/ Western Europe
/ Italy
Friends in need
May 5, 2010Italy's philanthropic foundations remain significant shareholders in the country's banks, which has helped them ease their way through the economic crisis and maintain a long-term growth strategy. Writer David Lane
Safe and Simple
May 5, 2010The Portuguese government's tax amnesty on repatriated funds is expected to channel an influx of euros into the country's private banking sector. Yet banks must meet the post-crisis needs of investors with new portfolios favouring simpler structured products with a capital guarantee. Writer Peter Wise
The kindest cut
May 5, 2010A €6bn privatisation initiative ushered in by the Portuguese government as part of a package of spending cuts could prove fertile for the country's investment banks and breathe new life into its capital markets. Writer Peter Wise
Portugal's plan settles the nerves
May 5, 2010The trials and tribulations of the Greek economy have caused a few nervous glances to be cast in the direction of Portugal, with some observers worried that the country could face a similar debt crisis. However, the Portuguese government's late budget and four-year austerity programme have gone a long way to allaying such fears. Writer Peter Wise
European issuers flourish in Asia
May 5, 2010Fast and effective: KfW's January 10-year dollar deal had a healthy placement in Asia
Despite concerns about government budget deficits, Asian central banks continue to show strong demand for European sovereign bonds. But sovereign, supranational and agency issuers all need to focus much more on the careful execution of deals, and the syndication process has been speeded up because of volatile market conditions. Writer Michael Marray
Paving the way for a market revival
May 5, 2010Thomas Fang, head of Greater China risk management products intermediary sales at UBS
The Asian structured products market is slowly rebuilding itself after the fallout from the global financial crisis. High-net-worth investors are getting their risk appetite back but providers are having to structure shorter-term products in order to win business. Writer Michael Marray
World
/ Asia-Pacific
/ India
India's decade of Tech revolution
March 31, 2010In response to pressure from the Reserve Bank of India, Indian banks have made huge investments in modernising their IT infrastructure during the past 10 years. But there is still much work to be done, particularly around customer relationship management, payments and financial inclusion. Writer Rekha Menon
Palestinian banks count on deposits
March 31, 2010Despite achieving strong results last year, Palestine's banking sector is working to address its weaknesses. With ample customer deposits, the focus is now on developing the processes used to grant loans to broaden out profit-making opportunities. Witer Stephen Timewell
