BTA Bank has been at the centre of a financial storm involving a state bail-out, Kazakhstan's real estate crash and rotating central bank governors. However the tools to stabilise the situation now appear to be in place. Writer Philip Alexander

As Russia's less developed regional banks are hit hard by the liquidity crisis, the chairman of Bank Center-Invest outlines his response. Writer Philip Alexander

The Czech Republic will not be immune from the slowing global economy but Ceska sporitelna starts from a position of strong risk management and ample liquidity, says CEO Gernot Mittendorfer. Writer Philip Alexander

UniCredit's global head of ECM sees opportunities across Europe as bulge bracket investment banks retreat from the region and strategic buyers ask for greater bank financing. Writer Philip Alexander

The tools appear to be in place for Germany’s real economy to maintain funding sources during the global downturn, but restructuring the country’s hard core of troubled banks remains a more complex problem. Writer Philip Alexander.

As global market volatility reaches extreme levels and most asset classes suffer heavy losses, bankers are engaged in the arduous work of finding sharia-compliant ways to offer companies and investors some protection. Writer Philip Alexander.

The Russian banking sector has been transformed by the crisis in 2008, but signs of the change were already clear in the end-2007 data included in these rankings, as the difficulties of raising capital began to bite. Writer Philip Alexander.

More liquid than most derivative markets, foreign exchange products still suffered in the turbulence of late 2008. But hedging exchange rate risk has never looked more important, creating growth opportunities for banks that can stay in the game. Writer Philip Alexander.

Many of the world’s top financial brands took a beating in 2008, but not every bank suffered. The Banker’s Top 500 Banking Brands listing puts a financial value on the leading brands and ranks them accordingly. Philip Alexander reports.

The US mortgage market was the epicentre of the earthquake that has shaken the global financial sector so badly, but finding ways to restore capital market funding for residential and commercial mortgages is crucial to reviving economic growth. Writer Philip Alexander.