Thailand’s central bank governor Pridiyathorn Devakula is The Banker’s central bank governor of the year in Asia for 2006. Here he talks to Brian Caplen about the challenges facing his country.

Thailand is reinforcing its recovery from crisis with an overhaul of its capital markets and a programme of liberalisation. Brian Caplen explains.

Flat tax is unpalatable to governments of established economies but its adoption by emerging countries could spark a rethink.

Henrique de Campos Meirelles, governor of Brazil’s central bank, has made the rebuilding of foreign currency reserves a priority. Interview by Brian Caplen.
Q Brazil is more stable than it has ever been before. How has this been achieved?
A Brazil is engaged in a very serious economic stabilisation programme involving an inflation-targeting monetary regime and a free-floating exchange rate.

Brazil’s banks are grappling with the new challenges of operating in a stable climate. Brian Caplen reports.

Michael Klein, CEO of global banking at Citigroup, tells Brian Caplen that gaining corporate client trust requires the bank’s senior advisers to position themselves as peers of the CEOs and boards with which they deal.

Banks’ secrecy over how they achieve their results is far from ideal for investors. Brian Caplen asks whether it is time these institutions stopped being so protective over their methods.

When Santander bought Abbey, not everyone agreed it was a good idea. But its strategy for turning around the ailing bank has proved the doubters wrong, as Brian Caplen reports.

Vneshtorgbank is using its acquisition of Guta Bank to build up its retail services, planning more branches and aiming for a leading role in the mortgage market. By Brian Caplen.
Russian state-owned Vneshtorgbank is pushing ahead on the retail front, aiming to claim an 8%-10% share of the market by 2010. During that period, total assets are expected to rise from $15bn to $35bn, including a forecast rise in mortgages from $150m to $2bn and in consumer lending from $300m to $3bn.

As new frameworks such as Basel II are implemented by Asia’s regulators, the region’s banks will have to adopt innovative new ways of raising debt and capital.Brian Caplen explains.
In the grim days following the Asian financial crisis, efficient capital management was not a concept much in vogue with the region’s banks.
Staying alive in any shape or form was the focus, not fussing about different forms of capital. But now the onward march of regulation in Asia and new demands from shareholders are concentrating the minds of bank management.