While Croatia’s banking sector is on a sound footing, with foreign investors now accounting for more than 90% of its total assets, the central bank’s restrictive measures to curb credit growth are frustrating lenders. By Nick Spiro.

Croatia’s fledgling capital markets are benefiting from a surge in interest from domestic and foreign investment funds and a fast-growing corporate bond market as negotiations for EU membership get under way. Nick Spiro reports.

Lithuania’s banking sector has come from nowhere a decade ago to become a highly competitive business.James Hydzik reports.

Until there is clarity over home country rule, Slovenian privatisation will be held up. Brian Caplen reports.

Slovenia’s finance minister Andrej Bajuk won The Banker’s award as best finance minister in Europe 2006. Here he explains to Brian Caplen how the Slovenian economy works.

On his visit to London last month, Iceland’s prime minister flew into a firestorm as concerns grew over the sharp decline of the krona. But Halldór Ásgrímsson is a man not easily ruffled, as Courtney Fingar found out.

Uncertainty in the Icelandic market has not perturbed Kaupthing Bank from pressing ahead with its expansion into Europe. Stephen Timewell reports.

Although business confidence is up regarding Germany’s prospects for recovery this year, members of the public and the Mittelstand remain unconvinced. Ben Aris reports.

Germany’s new pfandbrief law was designed to end anomalies arising from the ending of state guarantees for Landesbanken. Many hope that it will also reinvigorate the pfandbrief market in the face of growing international competition. Michael Marray reports.

While some countries are allowing a structured covered bond market to develop, others prefer to enact a covered bond law. Portugal has just passed legislation: will it experience a boom similar to its Iberian neighbour? Michael Marray reports.