HSBC aims to achieve carbon neutrality this year. As well as a drive to reduce its CO2 emissions, it will consider offsets such as emissions trading, which has the potential to become a free-standing investment market. Jules Stewart reports.
It is not often that a bank makes the news as a champion of the environment. But HSBC, the world’s second-largest bank, has taken on that role with the aim of becoming the world’s first major bank to commit to going carbon neutral.

As companies dealing in cash management come under greater scrutiny from the new IAS 39 accounting standard, the fundamental issue for them will be fair valuation of their assets, and whether to put them on balance sheet, writes Jules Stewart.

As corporate treasuries face an increasingly competitive global market place, outsourcing some of their functions is becoming a hot topic, writes Jules Stewart.

Competition has been heating up among major cash management providers as they scramble to win mandates from both corporations and financial institutions,writes Jules Stewart.

As the burden of regulation increases, companies are centralising cash management. Jules Stewart examines how new realities are impacting on the relationship between global and local functions.

Jules Stewart reports on the main points raised at The Banker’s Banking on Russia conference.
Three leading market participants addressed a conference on Russian banking organised by The Banker on May 24 to review progress made in reforming the sector and assess the outlook for future progress.

Basel II’s restrictions on banks are bound to change their relationships with their corporate clients. Jules Stewart looks at what firms should expect once the new Accord is in place.

Although sovereign issuers have so far dominated the inflation-linked bond market, the number and diversity of issuers is beginning to grow along with the investor base.

The Madrid bomb blast may have changed the election outcome but Spain’s strong economic performance is unlikely to be affected. Jules Stewart reports.

Spanish banks have had an uphill struggle in Latin America but now the continent is delivering returns at the same time as the domestic market remains buoyant. Jules Stewart reports.
Last month’s terrorist attacks in Madrid may have raised a question mark over Spain’s political agenda, but for the banks it is business as usual, only more so. The outlook for 2004 is for continued growth inoperating profits.