Spanish corporates are poised to issue a record volume of bonds this year even though the country’s debt rating risks being cut to high-yield. Companies would have to shake up their funding strategies should Spain lose its investment-grade status, but for those yet to access the bond markets, a stiffer challenge may await, says Alberto Viarengo, Head of Corporate Debt Capital Markets for Southern Europe at RBS.

Don’t believe the doom-mongers. Currency managers take a sanguine view over the prospect of a full-blown global currency conflict, amid a tentative pick-up in growth and inflation.

Core EU nations pushed ahead with a controversial financial transaction tax last week, triggering the ire of financial participants, who argue the tax will drain much-needed liquidity and capital.

A need for greater investment in airports, ports, roads and railways has prompted world leaders to develop attractive schemes to encourage private funding.

Leading investors and lawyers warn that the UK risks diluting its influence in Europe, threatening its trade and the financial industry, after UK prime minister David Cameron’s landmark speech that pledged a referendum on the country’s future in the EU.

An explosion is underway in the number and type of mobile payments around the world, according to research. Simon Newstead, Managing Director of Market and Business Strategy at RBS, says it's vital that businesses react to this trend, but they should carefully consider all the options.

Is regulation bad for payments innovation, draining company resources that could otherwise be used to develop the next big idea? Not necessarily, says Simon Newstead, Managing Director of Market and Business Strategy at RBS. With payments, it can help drive new thinking and improve efficiency – the key is flexibility.

Brazil and Australia are among countries where companies are a step closer to settling trade with China using the Chinese renminbi (RMB), after a deal between the South Korea and Chinese central banks set the precedent for activating a bilateral swap line. Woon Khien Chia, RBS Head of Local Markets Strategy Emerging Asia, looks at the implications.

As the era of ultra-loose monetary policy and expansive quantitative easing enters its third year, government and investment-grade corporate bond yields have fallen to all-time lows, prompting the Bank for International Settlements to warn market participants that fixed-income assets now look perilously overvalued.

Mobile banking in Africa is snapping on the heels of traditional payment mechanisms. Nevertheless, there are growing opportunities for banks but questions remain over the regulatory and economic impact of the cell phone revolution.