The Banker’s first Central American ranking sees continued growth, thanks to services sector expansion.

Some of the big Latin American banks are concentrating on new retail products to attract the unbanked segment of the population and thus grow market share. Monica Campbell reports.
Now that many big foreign banks play a major role in Latin America’s financial system, the race is on to capture a bigger chunk of the market, including its evolving commercial marketplace. Although most banks still thirst for wealthy clients, they are also slowly recognising the potential of Latin America’s enormous unbanked population.

Alfonso Prat-Gay, Argentina’s central bank governor, talks to Karina Robinson about his plans for recapitalising the ailing financial system.
In the run up to my meeting with 38-year-old Alfonso Prat-Gay, governor of the Central Bank of Argentina, I had met 16 top businessmen, bankers and economists who were uniformly charming and informative. So I feared for the famed trait of Argentine arrogance (the classic joke told to me by a host of locals is: How can you make a lot of money? Buy an Argentine for what you know he is worth and sell him for what he thinks he is worth). It was with a sigh of relief, then, that I encountered Mr Prat-Gay, who has that famed trait in spades.

Hugh O’Shaughnessy talks to Grenada’s Prime Minister, Dr Keith Mitchell, about why the island’s time as an offshore financial services centre was so shortlived.

Andrew Smithers argues that the US current account deficit is too small and its financial markets need to fall.

Top US banks, led by Citigroup, again produced strong profits growth in the fourth quarter and for all of 2003, reflecting imp-roved credit quality and strength in retail financial services.

Jonathan Wheatley reports on the phenomenal growth opportunities of the asset management industry in Latin America, with Brazil leading the pack.
When Brazil introduced a temporary tax on financial transactions, the CPMF, in 1997, it was met with howls of protest. It was a regressive tax that would damage the competitiveness of Brazilian companies, critics said, and once introduced, it was unlikely to be withdrawn. The tax has indeed persisted and is much despised. But one industry has done well from it: asset management.

The new plans for an FTAA fall far short of ideals and economic growth could suffer, says Jonathan Wheatley.

Social unrest and a government that turns a blind eye to problems means Argentina’s future looks bleak, reports Karina Robinson from Buenos Aires.

Henrique de Campos Meirelles assesses the achievements of the Lula administration in leading Brazil out of crisis.
Brazil is living through a time of hope, in which it is re-discussing its past and its present in order to create a new future. Today, it is clear that this new future may be quite different and much better than the one envisaged at the beginning of 2003.