While the Chinese economy shows signs of slowing, growth in the western provinces is continuing unabated, making it a particularly attractive destination for financial institutions. A number of major cities are competing for this inward capital, but in the race to become western China's financial hub, the city of Chengdu has taken a clear lead.
The evolution of the Indian banking sector has been slow and steady thus far, but with 60% of its population still unbanked and $1000bn of investment planned for the development of its infrastructure, India's needs are fast outstripping the sector's capabilities. Deputy governor of Reserve Bank of India Anand Sinha is confident that the country's banks can rise to this challenge, but there are areas that he believes they must improve on first.
Little is understood of India's banking sector outside of the vast country. The Banker talks to the chairmen and CEOs of 15 of India’s leading banks about their strategies, prospects and the huge opportunities presented by the country's large unbanked population.
By identifying potential weaknesses and fixing them – diversifying a previously oil-reliant economy and encouraging growth in the private sector – Saudi Arabia has managed to sustain a growing economy, even through times of economic and political turmoil.
Loans are up, deposits are growing and profits are healthy in Saudi Arabia's banks. But with growth opportunities in Islamic finance and a low proportion of home ownership in the country, there are still many more lucrative areas for these institutions to tap.
Muhammad Al-Jasser, the governor of Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency, says that while the country's role within the wider Middle Eastern and global economies is an important one, in times of such financial anxiety, it is important to focus on domestic matters.
Blom Bank's chairman Saad Azhari, Banque Audi's group CFO Freddie Baz, Byblos Bank's executive director Sami Haddad and the Lebanese Banks Association's secretary general Makram Sader discuss privatisation, economic reform and other issues facing the new Lebanese government.
With massive government support, Chengdu has emerged as the financial centre of western China. Important banking institutions have already moved into the new Chengdu Financial City – which is still under construction – while other economic initiatives look set to transform the region's landscape.
Tianjin is now one of the fastest-growing banking regions in China and, as a result, its financial institutions are experiencing phenomenal growth as they continue to fund the metropolis's booming industrial development and satisfy increasing demand from foreign investors.
The collapse of its government earlier this year and subsequent political wrangling, together with less than optimistic trading figures, has left many fearing for the economic future of Lebanon. But the region has a long history of resilience in the face of adversity.
The conservative approach adopted by Lebanon's largely family-owned banking sector over the past decade has served it well in the post-crisis environment. Now its key players are increasingly eyeing an expansion into the frontier markets of eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Saudi Arabia stuttered during the global financial crisis, but never plumbed the depths of the world's more developed economies. Now, the country's leaders are eyeing a more prosperous future, with a key focus being on educating and employing its youth and women.