Second big hire this year; ramps up competition with Dubai.

Growing investor comfort in region; IFA culture developing.

Strong results across the sector; banking system ‘a source of strength’.

No short-term response to price shift; fiscal discipline key to economy.

Rising rates deter equity investors; Brazil no longer driving volumes.

Debt service costs will hit profits; regulators see M&A as the answer.

The US looks to benefit from a changing energy landscape, at the expense of Russia and the Middle East, while Europe will be happier to be less reliant on those producers.

Our new column seeks the truth behind the PR spin in the world of banking. This month: how Jefferies put itself on the front pages, and why Barclays’ timing is always off.

The Central Bank of Seychelles has taken full control of one of nine banks on the Indian Ocean archipelago, in one of the clearest examples yet of the impact of global banks exiting correspondent banking relationships.

Technology companies are gearing up for a potential gold rush around FX benchmark trading, amid expectations the multi-billion dollar fines imposed on banks last week will accelerate appetite for solutions to boost transparency, oversight and pricing, analysts say.

The development of Angola's capital markets has been long promised but recent indications from the country's capital-markets commission suggests secondary public-debt trading could begin as early as next month. Nevertheless, it's unclear when the stock exchange will open its doors.

The eagerly awaited Stock Connect system connecting Hong Kong to the mainland is up and running to relief all round. While traditional long-only funds and southbound flows have lagged, market players foresee a new dawn in Chinese equity trading.

In an interview with Euromoney, Bundesbank board member Andreas Dombret sounds an upbeat note on the rigour of the ECB’s asset-quality review (AQR) and the eurozone’s resolution arrangements, but issues a sharp warning over banks’ risk-free treatment of sovereign debt.

Meeting KYC requirements is an irksome and expensive task for banks to contend with. But there are a slew of offerings from financial-services companies to ease the compliance burden.

The overwhelming retail demand for the Saudi bank’s $6 billion listing raises questions about how the country’s equity market will respond to its opening up to foreign investors.

Bank analysts and equity investors give their opinions on which companies they think are the best by the individual company sectors.

Overall results Best research provider overall

Local brokerages dominate the 2014 Euromoney Middle East Research rankings. With international interest in the region’s stock markets set to reach new heights, the big global investment banks have a lot of catching up to do. They can start by renewing their commitment to research in the region.

Backed by its robust trading relationship with China, the east Asian nation is the latest fledgling offshore renminbi hub. Market participants shed light on South Korea’s renminbi bid as internationalization of the Chinese currency gathers pace.

The full-scale disruptive potential of social trading is beginning to become clear, according to proponents. But there are fears that it is encouraging inexperienced traders to load up with risk in the pursuit of large returns and there have been calls for tougher regulation.

BNY Mellon is to expand aggressively in the Asia-Pacific region, targeting increased market share in the wealth business, offering a discretionary model to customers.