Following in the footsteps of Egypt and South Africa, Nigeria has signed up for a currency swap deal with China, but are swaps all they are cracked up to be?

Even though the banking sector remains off-limits, foreign investment in other state-owned enterprises will support infrastructure development.

Investment bankers hope for an autumn thaw after a spring freeze.

Credit scoring changes could be the key to breaking Brazil’s interest-rate burden.

Finally, some progress in Indonesian infrastructure – but familiar battles remain.

For the first time since HSBC’s acquisition of a Mexican bank in 2002, its franchise is enjoying positive momentum. Country chief Nuno Matos says more customers and a new culture are key to getting the bank’s market share back.

Banks have found it hard to lend to Mexico’s large SME segment, but persistence is beginning to pay off for those with the requisite focus – and skills.

With presidential elections and the threat to Nafta hanging over Mexico, international investors pared risk to the country and deal flow slowed. Finally, clarity is returning and the prospects for capital markets activity are looking better. But could Amlo’s presidency change prospects?

In early 2016, the Middle East’s two largest countries looked set to become the world’s most vibrant frontier markets. Two years on, many bankers doubt that either Iran or Saudi Arabia can live up to these expectations.

As Chinese bond markets are set to be included in indices for the first time, a big change is coming to the global financial system. Chinese government bonds could become the new Bunds in portfolios, but Xi Jinping might have bigger targets in his sights.

Islamic finance has become too focused on getting arcane structures to be technically Shariah compliant, but a new initiative in Malaysia attempts to make Islamic finance socially positive once more – and to measure its success.

The transition to capitalism has brought prosperity to much of emerging Europe but left large sections of society struggling to catch up – now Austria’s Erste Group is going back to its roots to bring prosperity to the region through social banking.

Autumn bank refinancing round under scrutiny; analysts warn of US sanctions tail risk.

Over 20 years after microfinance first arrived in Kyrgyzstan, the largest players are transforming into banks to lower funding costs and increase financial inclusion. Can they convince the country’s farmers to put their cash into banks instead of cows?

The Tropical Landscapes Finance Facility aims to source projects that transform lives and environments, and to securitize the project loans into bonds that will be sold to investors through the MTN markets. It all starts with a rubber plantation in Sumatra.

President Tsai’s flagship foreign policy aims to redirect bank lending and investment away from China and towards southeast Asia. Taiwan has tried to diversify twice before and failed – will it work the third time?

Can Kazakhstan create an international financial centre in the middle of the steppes or is it just the latest central Asian pipe dream?

The informal economy in effect blocks growth, so why is no one proposing tax and social security reform to bring workers and companies into the formal sector?

The southeast Asian FX market is on fire and it is set to get a further boost thanks to a combination of political and economic turbulence, a regulator committed to facilitating infrastructure investment and increased interest from non-bank market makers.

Recent growth puts Banorte ahead of its 2020 targets; strong cash generation expected to lead to greater 2019 dividends.

Regulatory changes to Brazil’s positive credit bureau open way for fintech start-up; better data predicted to lead to lower cost credit and GDP growth.

Investors hoping new president adopts pragmatic approach; proposed referendum raises more questions than answers.

President-elect cuts pay, uses new level as public-sector ceiling; BNP Paribas expanding in Mexico.

Delusional clients are complicating the business of collecting fees for advising on mega trades for customers such as Saudi Aramco and Tesla.

Traders have been staying away from the Turkish currency this year as they watched a steady decline in its value against the dollar, but the recent deterioration of relations between Turkey and the US sent the currency spiralling into a full-blown crisis.

The choice of Malaysia's Employees Provident Fund as the next head of the country's sovereign wealth fund is intriguing for both institutions

Singapore bank announces new digital banking offering; Claims it will be the first to truly engage – but is it?

Any slowdown in the economy of the country that consumes so much local output will bring short-term pain and should be a long-term warning.

Cryptocurrencies are still not legal in Russia for now, but that isn’t stopping businesses from preparing to take hold of the future.

The country has the right to join, yet EU leaders are stalling.