International banks are picking up the suitcase banking habit in Latin America again. They may find it hard to return.

Bank snaps up local advisory firm; M&A activity ‘on upward trajectory’, says CEO.

Asic launches investigations; ANZ, Macquarie and CBA probed.

Corporate debt at record high; NPLs at state lenders also on rise.

In the six years since Fidesz came to power, its policymakers seem to have been reluctant to miss an opportunity to convince the world of their lack of commitment to transparency and good governance.

Polemicists arguing either side of this coin toss abound, from water coolers to Republican primaries. Where once markets drew direction from the pronouncements of Alan Greenspan, they now rise and fall on Chinese numbers. Ironically, no one actually believes the official numbers that China puts out.

CEO to press on with pan-African investment; PLC exit comes as African business turns round.

$94 billion coming due by end-2017; Bahrain pays up after downgrade.

$101 million stolen by cyber-thieves; fears of an inside job.

Latin America’s real-estate investment trust market has stalled in the face of a general pullback in emerging market investing. In the longer term, however, this could be the shock that spurs on a sector held back by asset size and asset scarcity.

Patrick Njoroge has spent much of his career outside Kenya, mostly in Washington at the IMF as a senior economist. Two decades in that role took him around the world, occasionally as its ambassador, more often in a team of firemen fixing damaged economies.

After 20 years at the IMF, Patrick Njoroge gave up life in Washington for the rough and tumble of public life in Kenya. It was a culture shock for the new central bank governor. Now his robust approach is proving to be a shock to the Kenyan system.

A liquidity crunch is affecting banks worldwide and Saudi Arabia is no exception. Deposits are falling as the government pulls out cash to fund the deficit, yet lending continues to grow. Will the banks change their lending models or turn to the capital markets for funding?

Citi’s Asia-Pacific business is the ultimate test of its universal banking model. New regional CEO Francisco Aristeguieta knows he needs to build on its strong component parts, not just to maintain its position in Asia, but to push the bank forward globally.

China has a future rich with potential: a liberalized currency, an open capital account, state lenders and technology giants offering innovative banking services to a vibrant private sector. But Beijing’s leaders face a growing problem: a two-speed China. Now is not the time for them to drag their feet over reform.

Malaysia has been hit by political scandal and economic woes, but ECR experts believe it should begin to recover this year.

Funding constraints of the kind familiar to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are now starting to impact multinational corporations (MNCs) with emerging-market (EM) exposure, pushing them to look to their banks for new options to obtain financing.

The sovereign is still high risk, but is improving in Euromoney’s country risk survey, underpinned by the recent election results.

China has reportedly drafted a Tobin tax on foreign currency transactions – just the latest in a series of measures that appears to backpedal on financial reform. However, bulls say it’s a classic move by Beijing to limp towards reform without subjecting domestic markets to volatility.

The sovereign improved last year, but experts have doubts over its economic prospects, and there are political risks from possible snap elections in the summer.

Bank bondholders need to hope that Kazakhstan’s authorities break their habit of allowing bank defaults.

Seven years after the first default of Kazakhstan’s largest bank, its lenders are once again under pressure. Can the sector survive an economic slowdown and dramatic devaluation?

China is well on the way to creating a global currency, with a little help from the IMF. But what of India, the other economy set to dominate the 21st century? Will the rupee come to rival the renminbi and the dollar, or will poor planning and weak infrastructure undermine its ambitions?

Santander Mexico’s new CEO faces the challenge of evolving a business, while his predecessor keeps watch from the boardroom.

Turkish borrowers have become increasingly active in the Eurobond markets in recent years. But with funding costs rising, investment falling and political risk ever-present, could the last large source of new bonds in emerging Europe be about to dry up?

LatAm fixed income markets have seen a collapse in primary issuance and yields have jumped in the secondary market. But investors and bankers are pointing to a new-found maturity that augers well.

Ljubljana is a happier place these days, overcoming the banking and political crisis weighing on its prospects. Investors should take note: Slovenia is one of several smaller European countries making a comeback.

Timing is right for Post Bank launch, says chairman. Branch network will be bigger than Sberbank’s.

Weaknesses in Japan and Asia will mean a flight to quality.

Advice sought on new fund; Shoura eyes GOSI shake-up.