The governor of Mexico's central bank, Agustín Carstens, talks to Silvia Pavoni about the legitimacy of the processes for selecting both the head of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as Mexico's role within Latin America.

Much of the good work that has gone on in Mexico's banking sector in recent years has its foundations in the regulations brought in in the aftermath of the 'Tequila crisis' in the mid-1990s. But as its financial intermediation levels lag those of Latin American rivals Brazil and Chile, there is still work to be done.

The growth of Bradesco BBI's investment banking arm in recent years has reflected that of the Brazilian economy. Its head explains how the bank's strong team and excellent client relationships have been the bedrock for this growth.

Brazil produces 20% of the world’s ethanol, much of which goes towards fuelling the country’s cars. However, in recent years a combination of poor harvests, gasoline subsidies and the global financial crisis have seen investment in the industry grind to a halt. Will it be revived by the elimination of trade taxes on sugar cane ethanol in the US?

Emerging market growth is changing the strategy for the commodities business at the same time that tighter regulation is altering the relationship between banks, merchant traders and investment funds.

Credit Suisse's co-head of investment banking in Brazil, José Olympio Pereira, discusses the withdrawal of Brasil Travel's anticipated initial public offering and the state of the country's equity capital market, which has not seen a deal for more than six months.

Many of Latin America's high-net-worth individuals are repatriating their funds and an increasing number of foreign investors are targeting the region, thanks to its rapidly expanding economy. With such demand for local product providers, domestic firms are finding themselves having to pit their specialist knowledge against the international reach of large foreign banks, making competition tough.

Barclays built a multi-asset execution platform out of the Lehman acquisition, and the debt specialist in the bank’s two-man management team for global finance in the EMEA region is relishing the opportunity to deploy that platform if merger and acquisition activity picks up.