There were times in the late 1970s and 1980s when Japan dominated entire editions of Euromoney. We have seen it rise, fall and stagnate, with plenty of banking adventures and misadventures along the way. Here are some of the highlights of our 50 years of coverage.

Trade finance and cash management may have come under the spotlight in the last 10 years since the financial crash, but these are businesses that Euromoney has covered since launch, especially focusing on how technology has the potential to transform the sector.

The country’s risk scores have lagged its central European neighbours since the financial crisis. Is overspending in the mid 2000s entirely to blame, or should the Fidesz government take some responsibility?

For those that work on them, every edition of Euromoney is special. We try our utmost to reflect the issues of the moment, to delve into the intricacies of the global financial system and never forget that our duty is both to inform and to entertain.

In Africa, the more democratic a country is, the higher its Euromoney Country Risk score, but as the continent’s ECR grade stalls, African countries are diverging – politically and economically.

Systemic, contagious sovereign crises seem to have been consigned to history. Governments can raise funds more cheaply than ever and investor demand seems insatiable. But the banking sector remains a source of instability and new threats are emerging, such as trade wars. Is complacency the biggest threat of all?

One country showed the way forward for Latin American sovereigns nearly 35 years ago. Many have tried to follow. Have they succeeded?

Some uncomfortable conclusions arise from a close look at Euromoney’s country risk data for Asia since 1982. India’s opening has been rewarded with a dismal decline in its score, while the overthrow of local dictators doesn’t appear to do much for economies either.

Singapore’s emergence as a global financial hub is no accident, and has not happened overnight. The key, according to Ravi Menon – the managing director of financial regulator the Monetary Authority of Singapore – is to plan well, act decisively and, above all, listen.

As the role of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development comes under scrutiny in Brussels, president Sir Suma Chakrabarti mounts a vigorous defence of the bank’s unique business model and sets out his vision for its future.

And just as tough to get an interview with those higher up the ladder.

The World Bank is where finance and politics meet. The scope of its mandate and its ability to effect change have attracted some of both disciplines’ brightest minds to its presidency. But do the conflicting demands of the role mean that all careers at its head are destined to end in failure?

The World Bank’s influence on the growth of global capital markets is unquestionable, and no individual has played a more important role than its former treasurer, Eugene Rotberg.

From governance issues to mounting competition, the World Bank faces myriad challenges, but its proponents remain convinced of its importance to the modern world.

Letters from editor Clive Horwood and managing director John Orchard.

Lead by example.

Europe can build a more integrated system.

The scourge of short termism.

As Euromoney turns 50, we review the agendas of the some of the top CEOs in banking.

Crossing bridges before you come to them.

The father of international finance in the 1960s.

For Euromoney's 50th anniversary issue, we picked out the six individual bankers that we believe define each of the decades of Euromoney’s existence. They are all giants of the industry. Their names transcend it.

The first global banker, from the 1970s.

AML needs a European solution.

Master of reinvention.

Regulate big tech or deregulate banks.

The technology pioneer of the 1980s.

Banking is a secondary need.

Efficient banks will win the digital race.

If you missed the US train, catch the one in China.