As European regulators renew their focus on the legal ring-fence between retail and wholesale activities, the universal-banking model needs to adapt to new regulatory and market pressures.

Italy, Portugal and Spain could face economic downturns as severe as that of Greece within a year as the combination of austerity and recession exacerbate Europe’s sovereign debt crisis, Peter Bofinger, economist and member of the German Council of Economic Experts, told RBS.

The German economy is likely to shrink in the fourth quarter of this year and into 2013 as demand for its exports from struggling eurozone countries drops, Peter Bofinger, economist and member of the German Council of Economic Exports, told RBS.

It could take more than a decade before Europe fully emerges from the financial crisis, experienced central banker Nout Wellink told RBS.

Britain should launch a diplomatic charm offensive in Europe’s capitals to protect its financial services sector from possible regulatory changes inside the European Union, former City Minister Paul Myners has said.

China will dominate world trade by 2030. But its relationships are changing. Anand Pande, global head of trade product management and head of transaction services product for Asia Pacific at RBS, examines the developing landscape and the implications for transaction banking and multinational companies.

The next Bank of England Governor, Mark Carney, should consider moving the Bank out of its Threadneedle Street headquarters in a major cultural shakeup at the 318 year-old lender, former City Minister Paul Myners has said.

Former monetary policy official Yu Yongding calls on the Chinese government to turbo-charge its economic reform agenda, including financial market liberalization, in order to nurture a consumption-led economy.

The renminbi will become as integral to global trade as letters of credit or the container ship. Companies need to think carefully on how to blend daily RMB usage into their existing supply chains as Beijing begins to remove bureaucratic FX hurdles.

Xi Jinping and China’s other new leaders take charge of a slowing economy and an increasingly vocal populace demanding cleaner government, better welfare and more affordable housing. Only modest progress has been made at shifting the economy from an investment-led, industrial model to one driven more by consumers and the services sector. Yet Louis Kuijs, Chief China Economist at RBS says investors expecting the incoming administration to respond with rapid reforms or a major fiscal stimulus are likely to be disappointed.