The first yen issue for Slovakia since 1994, a debut Finnish non-sovereign samurai bond deal and a growing number of dollar mandates are raising the profile of the debt capital markets team at Japan's Daiwa

India may be one of the most populous countries on earth, but a small proportion of its population has access to a bank branch. As the case for financial inclusion grows, lenders are clamouring to take advantage of what has been described as 'the largest banking opportunity in the world'.

A new system for identifying each citizen in India is opening the door to social and financial inclusion for the huge section of the community without identification documents.

India's banks remained relatively profitable in 2012, and the outlook for this year is equally positive thanks to a government initiative that is helping lenders to tap the country's large unbanked population. The Banker talks to the senior executives of 10 of India's biggest banks to discuss the industry's past successes and future developments.

China's economy started to slow in 2012, but the profitability of the country's banks showed no signs of waning, with indicators from lenders both large and small showing strong growth.

Industrial and Commercial Bank of China has experienced incredible growth in the past year, and is now the number one bank in The Banker's Top 1000 World Banks ranking, the first Chinese bank to hold this position. Stephen Timewell charts this rise and speaks to the bank's chairman.

Jiang Chaoliang, the new chairman of Agricultural Bank of China, one of the country's ‘big four’ state-owned banks, gives The Banker his views on the future of China's banking industry, and ABC's role within it.

With Asia’s post-war business moguls now well into retirement, an unprecedented amount of wealth is set to pass to the next generation, representing an enormous business opportunity for banks. 

HSBC China has expanded rapidly since being established in 2007. Its chief executive and deputy chairman, Helen Wong, says it wants to retain its position as the largest foreign lender in China, and boost its ties with Bank of Communications, in which HSBC has a large stake. She insists, too, that the outlook for the country's economy is rosy.