In his most detailed interview since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in mid-September, Trichet calls upon the top management of commercial banks to “recognise that they are operating in an environment in which a lot of the fundamental risks to liquidity and solvency have been addressed.”

Martín Redrado, president of the Central Bank of Argentina, tells Sudip Roy why the banker should get through the global crisis intact.

Mian Mansha is the richest man in Pakistan and owns one of the best banks in Asia. However, his ambitions reach much further. In his first ever foreign media interview, Mansha discusses his plans to expand his empire geographically, and to create a new holding company and list his various interests on the LSE.

Mian Mansha owns one of the best banks in Asia but his ambitions reach much further. He plans to create a new holding company and list his various interests on the LSE. And he hopes to expand his business base across Asia and into the Middle East and emerging Europe.

Today, Japan’s Mitsubishi UFJ group announced its intention to acquire a stake of up to 20% in Morgan Stanley. In an interview for Euromoney’s September edition, MUFJ’s chief executive Nobuo Kuroyanagi spoke about the bank’s intention to take advantage of opportunities presented by the global credit crunch. We publish exclusive excerpts here.

Mexico’s central bank governor has achieved rock-star status with his tough line on inflation by standing up to the president’s pressure to reduce interest rates.

Jean-Claude Trichet, European Central Bank.

Outstanding contribution to finance: Dr Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Indonesia

China’s finance minister has had a difficult first 12 months in charge, but has succeeded in maintaining the country’s economic momentum.

Alliance & Leicester is the latest rabbit that Emilio Botín has pulled out of his hat as Santander continues its inexorable rise. Botín has now cemented his reputation for being a dealmaker as well as one of the most talented retail bankers in history. What else does he have up his sleeve? Clive Horwood reports.

Al Gore, the former vice-president of the US, is the most high-profile figure in the fight to force action to combat global warming. He explains why a new approach to investment is needed, adopts an unusual position in the carbon tax versus cap-and-trade debate, and says banks are generally ahead of the game – but still have a lot more to do.

The Brazilian has brought a sense of euphoria back to the country and established it one of the four key emerging nations, as part of the Bric group.

In an interview with Euromoney Zhou Xiaochuan, governor of the People’s Bank of China, reiterates that China will not be bullied into changing its exchange rate policy, admits that the central bank is watching closely for signs that the economy is overheating, and says that the People’s Republic is keeping its dollar exposure in line with the market average.

Sinan Al-Shabibi, governor of the Central Bank of Iraq, speaks to Sudip Roy about the bank’s efforts to control inflation, curb exchange rate instability and cope with the difficult security situation.

Serbia’s minister of the economy and former finance minister is uncompromising – and his approach has been crucial to the revival of his country’s economic fortunes.

When Stan O’Neal spoke at the Euromoney Forum in London in late June, concerns about the fallout from the sub-prime correction were at their height. In a wide-ranging interview with Euromoney’s editor, Clive Horwood, Merrill Lynch’s chairman and chief executive discussed the market’s reaction to sub-prime, and whether or not the contagion would spread.

In the July 2007 edition of Euromoney, Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis gave a rare in-depth interview. Lewis said: "We are not believers in the build it and they will come mantra. We need to look our shareholders in the eye". "In time, we want to be one of the top five investment banks in the world". More than 18 months ago Euromoney said: "Bank of America is at a tipping point. Ken Lewis is about to face his biggest challenge yet." Little did we know how great the challenge would be. Re-read the story here

John Mack has the job he always wanted. One of Wall Street’s leading firms has the leader it desperately needed. Morgan Stanley is now the investment bank with momentum. Mack and his senior management tell Clive Horwood how they revived the firm’s fortunes.

Yemen is the Arabian peninsula’s anomaly. With one of the world’s poorest and quickest-growing populations, it sits uneasily next to booming petrodollar earners such as nearby Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates.

When Herbert Stepic bought his first bank in central Europe in 1987, hardly anyone noticed. Now competitors closely follow his every move. On the following pages, he tells Sudip Roy how Raiffeisen’s strategy has developed over the past 20 years and how he intends to stay ahead of the game.

Eisuke Sakakibara is known as Mr Yen for the influence of his pronouncements on Japan’s currency and was Japan’s vice-minister for finance for international affairs from 1997 to 1999. An internationalist famed for making key policy speeches in English, he argues in this interview with Tetsuya Shibata that Japanese companies must become more outward-looking to prosper.

Proponents of the merger between the New York Stock Exchange and Euronext believe it will enhance Paris’s position as a financial centre as the $14 billion deal promises to maintain independence. One cheerleader has been Daniel Bouton, chairman and CEO of Société Générale. At the Euromoney Paris Forum, held at the close of 2006, he was interviewed by Mark Johnson, Euromoney’s editor of conferences.

Mark Johnson interviewed to Daniel Bouton, chairman and chief executive of Societe General at the recent Euromoney Paris Forum.

Chris Garnett interviewed Baudouin Prot, chief executive of BNP Paribas at the recent Euromoney Paris Forum.

One of the surprise consequences of the merger between Intesa and Sanpaolo IMI was that it resulted in yet another foreign bank carving out a strong presence in the Italian market. In exchange for its support for the merger with Sanpaolo, Intesa ceded to French bank Crédit Agricole, a long-time partner and investor, control of two regional banks and some 200 Intesa branches. But there are still questions about the future of the former partners’ asset management joint venture and some analysts question the generosity of the divorce settlement. Georges Pauget, CEO of Crédit Agricole, speaks to Peter Koh.

The liberalization of Pakistan’s financial sector has generated unprecedented growth in the number and size of the country’s banks. Pakistan’s central bank governor, Shamshad Akhtar, discusses the challenges posed by the dramatic growth in the financial industry.

Indonesia’s young finance minister has made some key decisions since her appointment, winning many friends abroad. Some tough challenges lie ahead; to meet them, Mulyani will need to win more friends at home. Chris Leahy reports.

Riad Salamé faces yet another test of his skills following the outbreak of war between Israel and Hizbullah. He has dealt with previous challenges with flying colours. There’s little to suggest it will be different this time. Sudip Roy reports.

ING Direct has built a top-10 retail bank position in eight of the nine markets it operates in. It is is without doubt the most successful internet bank in the world. In fact it is arguably one of the most successful banks of any kind given the rapid and substantial inroads it has made in mature markets.

Árni Mathiesen, Iceland’s finance minister, speaks to Laurence Neville about this year’s economic troubles and the economy’s prospects.