The financial services sector in Saudi Arabia is benefiting from new policies aimed at attracting foreign investors, and creating a more sophisticated market, write Nadine Marroushi and Jon Marks.

Finance is taking over from oil as the fuel that drives the engine of economic growth in the Gulf region, reports Stephen Timewell.

Ferenc Gyurcsany, Hungary’s prime minister, tells Karina Robinson how he plans to rein in public spending yet confound the polls and get re-elected .

Just as The Banker was going to press it was announced that BNP Paribas had taken a 19% stake in Libya’s Sahara Bank and with that stake acquired management control.

Its ambitions in the mobile remittances space have led Vodafone to partner with Citi to extend the service beyond Kenya to provide international person-to-person mobile payments. By Heather McKenzie.

Are the ‘irrational’ clients of Northern Rock the kind of customers rival banks should be opening their arms to, asks Joe DiVanna.

$40bn is needed over five years to finance infrastructure and sustain growth rates in Africa.

Aided by expertise learnt in the US, those in charge of the Cairo and Alexandria Stock Exchange have constructed a highly efficient operation, says Silvia Pavoni .

Jacko Maree, CEO of Standard Bank Group, tells The Banker about the strategy that is leading it to expand into markets well beyond its South African home base.

Brazil’s banks dominate the listing with their healthy assets and profitability, and Mexico also does well.