Leading Qatari banks have recorded strong results over the past two quarters and figureheads within the sector are quietly confident that profitability will be maintained, or indeed increased, in the year ahead. Writer Stephen Timewell

David Thompson - Barbados' prime minister

Unimpressed by the lack of representation for the world's smaller nations at the G-20 summit in London in April, Barbados' prime minister David Thompson took it upon himself to visit the city and tell the world of the plight of his country and others in the Caribbean. Writer Hugh O' Shaughnessy

Although Thailand has managed to avoid much of the turmoil embroiling Western banks, the government is taking preventative action to ensure that its export and loan markets are not damaged by the slump in global demand. Writer Simon Montlake in Bangkok

As Ireland reels from its banking woes, a fierce debate is under way as to whether the government's 'bad bank' solution will be enough to open a route to recovery or whether widespread bank nationalisation is a more realistic option. Writer Philippa Maister

Merrill Lynch's orchestration of the EDF purchase of British Energy was one of the most complex and drawn-out deals of its kind ever undertaken. Writer Edward Russell-Walling

With the panic subsiding fast, Brazil's equity markets have staged an astonishing turnaround allowing canny investment banks to find their feet in the country again. Writer John Rumsey

The CEO of Nomura for the EMEA region has taken the Japanese bank through its acquisition of Lehman Brothers' EMEA business and is determined to get maximum gains from the deal. Writer Geraldine Lambe

Investment banking losses and US tax evasion charges sent clients of the leading wealth manager scurrying for the exits. But the crisis has renewed UBS's determination to succeed in private banking. Writer Philip Alexander