Mauritius' central bank governor discusses the challenges that he faces, including the volatility of exchange rates and high leverage ratios within some of the country’s corporates.
Iran and Cuba's warm welcome could run cold
August 24, 2015Major progress has been achieved in the reconciliation between the US and its old adversaries, Cuba and Iran. But there are many hurdles to be overcome before normal relations are restored.
Al Rayan Bank CEO enjoys UK comforts
August 1, 2015Al Rayan Bank CEO Sultan Choudhury explains how the first Western sharia-compliant bank defied early setbacks and the global financial crisis to write its own success story.
MENA's energy challenge: will renewables relieve the capacity crisis?
July 15, 2015Renewable energy is expected to play a significant role in the Middle East and north Africa's future energy mix, and the region's lenders are now paying attention to the attractive opportunities presented by this energy evolution.
Al Baraka chief looks to a bigger and more harmonised Islamic finance market
July 1, 2015Adnan Ahmed Yousif, the president and chief executive of Bahrain-based Al Baraka Banking Group, believes that the scope for international expansion for Islamic finance is huge, and that improved oversight combined with scholarly jurisprudence is the key to a more harmonious global structure in the market.
Connecting a continent: the rise of Africa's payment systems
July 1, 2015Africa's regional payments systems, such as Siress, are flourishing and are expected to play a growing role in the continent's economic growth, particularly as intra-African trade picks up.
Top 1000 World Banks – QNB narrows gap with NCB for top Middle Eastern slot
June 29, 2015Gulf lenders continue to dominate The Banker's top Middle Eastern lenders ranking, but Saudi Arabia's National Commercial Bank has had its lead cut by second placed Qatar National Bank.
Top 1000 World Banks – Asia-Pacific dips but still dominates global profit share
June 29, 2015Western Europe increased its share of global banking profits in the 2015 Top 1000 World Banks ranking, but while Asia-Pacific saw its share decline slightly, it still dominates on this score.
Top 1000 World Banks – Greater global reach for new arrivals in Top 1000
June 29, 2015The new arrivals ranking shows a drop in the number of banks from China and Russia, but the global reach of the newcomers is spread wider.
Top 1000 World Banks – Chinese banks top for net interest income
June 29, 2015Chinese lenders dominate the top 20 banks by net interest income tables in 2015.