The speed with which Egypt completed its Suez Canal expansion has given observers confidence that the country’s ambitious SCZone plan really could become the economic powerhouse the government envisions.

Weak GDP growth, jittery investors, tumbling oil prices: Nigeria’s banking sector is a challenging place to be as the central bank introduces some controversial regulatory measures

Nigeria's economic growth has slowed over the past year, and delays in naming a cabinet by new president Muhammadu Buhari are doing little to restore confidence in the country. However, the long-term prospects for Africa's largest economy remain strong.

Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund, Mumtalakat, has weathered economic and political uncertainty both at home and throughout the wider Middle Eastern region, and is now back on a path to growth, with its aviation holdings being at the forefront of this turnaround.

Egypt's recovery from a period of economic, social and political upheaval is now well under way and, says minister of finance Hany Kadry Dimian, a new fiscal policy is playing a key role within this comeback, while also ensuring that all sections of society feel its benefits.

Mauritius' reputation as a well regulated, safe destination for banking and business has suffered during recent corruption scandals, but such is the country's strong reputation that these events do not seem to have adversely affected its ambitions to become an international financial centre.

The finance minister of Mauritius' belief that the country is at a crossroads is driving his efforts to revive its economy by recreating it with an emphasis on the services sector and the 'ocean economy'. He updates James King on the progress of these plans.

The historic deal to end sanctions imposed by various Western powers upon Iran still has hurdles to clear, but already would-be investors are eyeing the country's rich potential.

As oil prices remain in the doldrums, the spending plans of hydrocarbon-dependent economies within the Arab world appear to be taking a hit. James King looks at how this new environment will affect the region's banks.