Cross-border universal banks will have to decide not only which countries and product segments to operate in, but also how to build the management structures to deliver the best return on capital under increased regulatory constraints.
Americas
Latest articles from Americas
Dodd-Frank puts swap execution facilities in the firing line
January 2, 2013Swap execution facilities are supposed to be central to the efforts of the Dodd-Frank Act to make the derivatives industry safer, but delayed rule-making has thrown their very existence into doubt.
Argentina’s very personal default
January 2, 2013Argentina's arbitration wrangles have taken a fresh twist.
Emerging market banks stake claims in commodities
December 3, 2012With balance sheet clean-ups continuing in Europe and the US, banks in emerging markets have grabbed the opportunity to forge stronger relationships with local commodity producers.
A dictionary of difficulties from 2012
December 3, 2012If 'algorithms, bail-ins and cajas' were the ABC of banking in 2012, what will be the new buzzwords? Philip Alexander looks at the phrases that defined 12 months of pain, and suggests some words to watch in 2013.
Green energy feels the chill
December 3, 2012Tighter bank financing, falling government subsidies and rising US shale gas production are all putting the squeeze on the renewable energy industry.
New Bank of England governor on the importance of being regulated
November 26, 2012The recently appointed governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, explains how tightening regulatory framework is essential in order to ensure economic stability.
Top Latin American banks ranking, 2012
November 1, 2012While the top 10 Latin American banks remain unchanged from 2011, it is the region's smaller operations that are leading the pack in terms of profitability and returns.
Foreign-owned subsidiaries take root in Latin America
November 1, 2012Latin America's buoyant economies are attracting a slew of foreign institutions, with banks from within Latin America itself and from further afield establishing substantial networks across the continent. Unsurprisingly, the largest foreign-owned subsidiary presence is in Brazil, but the large domestic market has quelled Brazilian banks' ambitions elsewhere and it is Colombian lenders that are forging ahead with cross-border acquisitions.