Bolivia’s finance minister Luis Alberto Arce outlines a programme of state loans to small enterprises and attacks the country’s domestic banks for acting like a syndicate, stifling competition.

Bolivia’s banking sector is thriving on the back of a strong economy, despite fears of a political clash with the leftist government of president Evo Morales. Jules Stewart reports.

Santander’s takeover of ABN Amro Banco Real has changed Brazil’s banking landscape, but the integration process may not be easy. John Rumsey reports.

Jane Monahan talks to Barney Frank, chairman of the US Financial Services Committee, about its plans.

Bill Rhodes, chairman of Citibank and winner of The Banker’s Lifetime Achievement Award talks to Stephen Timewell about his 50-year career, offering insights on the Latin American debt crises of the 1980s through the end of communism and expansion eastwards, to the present day rise of protectionism.

Argentina’s new president has the chance to help the country rejoin the international financial community. Will she take it? By Jason Mitchell in Buenos Aires.

New pieces of legislation affecting tax and ownership are having a dramatic knock-on effect on Canada’s capital markets. Geraldine Lambe reports.

Stability and access to a wealth of natural resources makes Canada attractive for investors. Geraldine Lambe reports on the resulting buoyant activity in the country’s capital markets.

Chuck Winograd, chief executive of RBC Capital Markets; Doug McGregor, RBC’s co-president and head of global investment banking; and Mark Standish, RBC’s co-president and head of global markets, talk to Geraldine Lambe about the company’s need to grow outside of Canada.

Despite infrastructure issues and a lack of scenery, São Paulo has seen off local rivals and is emerging as the region’s pre-eminent financial centre. John Rumsey explains.