Formed in 1992, Parex has seen off various crises to become Latvia’s second largest bank by selling itself as a channel into western Europe for Russian investors. Robert Anderson reports.

Jan Cienski reports from Warsaw on the complex, drawn-out merger of Pekao SA and BPH – an alliance that has created the largest bank in Poland.

The volume of public listing in Russia shows no signs of abating and commercial banks are likely to join the state banks in keeping the momentum going in 2008. Ben Aris reports.

Ruth Emery assesses the likelihood of a merger between the Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Shanghai stock exchanges.

The flotation of DP World last year may prove to be a landmark deal for the emerging markets. Edward Russell-Walling reports on how Deutsche Bank handled the largest ever Middle Eastern IPO.

BNP Paribas has been expanding its businesses globally, both through acquisition and organic growth, and the previously predominant French operations are slowly but surely decreasing in significance. In an interview with Brian Caplen, CEO Baudouin Prot says that the anchor to all the bank’s business remains its retail base.

David Lane traces Italy's journey to the fore in European banking.

With mayhem in the banking sector in the US, the Canadian banks that have reported at their financial year end, October 31, 2007, appear to be sailing serenely on.

The declining poverty rate in Vietnam is due to the country’s policy of inclusive development, writes Ajay Chhibber.

A string of problems would result if the UK government decides to take the nationalisation route to digging the troubled bank out of trouble.