Turkey’s largest bank, Isbank, enjoyed return on equity of almost 20% in 2010, but new chief executive Adnan Bali is preparing for any fallout from the eurozone crisis and tightening margins in the competitive domestic market.
Western Europe
Latest articles from Western Europe
Turkey fixes a regulator that isn’t broken
November 1, 2011Turkish financial regulators are widely credited with steering the sector successfully through the global financial crisis. So why is the government abolishing their independence?
High-yield bonds battered but still resilient
November 1, 2011Junk bonds have suffered badly since the start of June, with investors being quick to sell off what is one of the riskiest fixed-income asset classes. But bankers point to the market’s underlying strengths and insist it will only get bigger in the long term.
How to reboot bank funding markets
November 1, 2011Deep uncertainty over sovereign debt exposures and new regulation has locked many banks out of the senior unsecured funding markets, leading to a frantic search for solutions.
Europe should focus on bank assets, not capital
October 27, 2011Raising bank capital ratios is the wrong solution at the wrong time.
EU divided over scope of derivatives regulation
October 3, 2011The European Market Infrastructure Regulation is designed to bring some much-needed stability to the over-the-counter derivatives market, but disagreements about exactly what it is should cover are slowing its progress. It is looking increasingly unlikely that the EU will not meet the G-20 deadline.
Strong domestic network helps Crédit Agricole during crisis
October 3, 2011French giant Crédit Agricole has been buffeted by speculation surrounding the fate of the eurozone, but CEO Jean-Paul Chifflet explains how the right combination of international expansion and domestic branch network has kept the bank well positioned.
Is CRD4 too far, too soon for a fragile Europe?
September 1, 2011The European Commission has finalised its proposal on the fourth iteration of the Capital Requirements Directive. It makes the EU the first jurisdiction to pass into law the Basel III rules agreed last year. Many are worried about the impact it may have while European economies remain fragile.
ESMA's Maijoor: Regulating the rating agencies
September 1, 2011ESMA's Steven Maijoor argues that stricter regulation will improve the effectiveness and efficiency of credit rating agencies and help restore confidence in their ratings.
Guy Verhofstadt: EU members must pull in the same direction
September 1, 2011The EU has lost its way. Only by reverting to its original intention – of pooled sovereignty with all members pulling in the same direction for the greater good – can it get begin to recover from the crisis that currently engulfs it.