Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ's purchase of Thailand-based Bank of Ayudhya last year was indicative of the wealth of opportunities opening up in the south-east Asian economy.

Japan's unemployment rate may be shrinking but behind this headline figure lurks problems such as low labour mobility and excessive reliance on part-time employment. These are deep-rooted issues that new government initiatives are trying to flush out.

After years of rationalisation and restructuring following the Asian financial crisis in the 1990s, Japan's largest banks – Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mizuho and Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group – are much healthier than their Western and Chinese counterparts, but they are still struggling to increase profitability.

The Banker’s Central Bank Governor of the Year awards celebrate the officials who managed to restore economic stability and even growth to their countries following a turbulent few years.

Japan's ageing population may be a burden on the country's younger generations, but the older population is proving to be a profitable target market for the country's banks, which are addressing the needs of this growing market segment with new products and services.

Bitcoin – an audacious, innovative and 'mathematically fantastic' virtual currency, or an unregulated, volatile and opaque money channel? The Banker puts that question to banks, regulators and technology experts to get their take. 

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