Is a bank website the same as a bank branch? Canada's finance minister thinks so, which means that banks, which are not allowed to sell insurance through branches, are to be banned from selling it online too. Writer Michael Imeson

The next time economic disaster strikes, the EC wants an EU-wide way of dealing with the fallout. But the framework it suggests is highly complex. Writer Michael Imeson

Global regulators are drawing up tougher capital adequacy standards, but German banks do not like what they are seeing. Writer Michael Imeson

By the end of the year, Ireland's government will start buying up €90bn of highly risky land and property loans, much to the relief of the country's struggling banks. Writer Michael Imeson

The UK government has just published proposals for wide-ranging changes to financial regulation. Although the measures will be intrusive, bankers are generally supportive. Writer Michael Imeson

Richard Groves, managing director of Saudi British Bank (SABB)

Saudi Arabia's banks are reporting lower profits and higher loan-loss provisions, but business is still good, according to SABB's managing director. Writer Michael Imeson

The chief executive of Ahli United Bank in Bahrain outlines the woes of the banking sector and explains why his bank has fared better than most. Writer Michael Imeson

The Gulf Co-operation Council countries have suffered as a result of the global economic downturn. Bank profits are down and there have even been some bank failures. But there is also plenty to be upbeat about, with some regions bucking the downward trend. Writer Michael Imeson

European law-makers are overhauling the way in which the financial system and the firms that operate within it are supervised. Writer Michael Imeson