John Havens takes over day-to-day running of the firm; Vikram Pandit concentrates on strategy

Senior creditors ‘have too much power’; Juniors pay price of distress

Focus shifting from Brazil; Agribusiness a particular interest

Agreement on backstop financing for sovereigns might buy time for fiscal adjustment to forestall a rash of defaults.

Belgium’s strained communal relations and ramshackle politics mean its financial problems could be fatal for the nation.

A liquidity squeeze in China has observers worrying that there’s trouble in store.

Growth is good for emerging economies but overheating is an ever-present danger. Governments are still failing to devise suitable cooling measures.

Orascom’s fund-raising shows that no matter where business comes from, financing power and expertise is still in the developed world.

New S&P ranking claims serious shortfalls at Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley.

The Mexican Stock Exchange’s cash and derivatives markets, the latter operated by MexDer, have rolled out a new interface, making it much faster for local and international traders to place orders across all asset classes and helping to improve the markets’ liquidity.

Record issuance predicted; But investors will be more choosy

Part of south-south trade flow trend; More such deals are likely

Was 3% fall triggered by prop or client trade?; concerns raised about programme trading.

Banks mandated for BGZ listing; ‘Pension changes won’t impact demand’

Equity markets tipped for growth; Concerns linger over structural reform

Presidential elections scheduled for April; $500 million issuance oversubscribed

Michael Evans’ promotion emphasizes importance to growth prospects; Internal politics also plays a role

Concerted intervention curbs appreciation; Interest rate differentials counteracted by IOF

Record amount of yankee bond issuance in January; Should US investors be more cautious?

North Korea. Zimbabwe. Tunisia. Algeria. Iraq. Pakistan. Egypt. It’s a list of the world’s flashpoints. And they’re all part of Egyptian entrepreneur Naguib Sawiris’s unique telecoms empire. So when his Orascom group needed financing, and then sought a buyer, it presented Sawiris’s advisers with a unique set of challenges. Eric Ellis tells the fascinating story of corporate finance in the new world order.