Senior credit analyst, Cheyne Capital

So far, the three western banks active in Kazakhstan have been a success. In order of appearance, ABN Amro, Citigroup and HSBC have turned tidy profits from lending at low rates to top state and corporate institutions. They now hold about 6.5% of the country's banking assets. Is it time to expand into retail?

The brainchild of Santander's chairman, Emilio Botín, Santander Group City is set to become Europe's largest corporate headquarters. But not everyone at the bank is happy to embrace a US-style working culture. Jules Stewart reports.

Investment bankers are used to pitching for business in far-flung places. But even for such old pros as Deutsche Bank's Ken Borda and Jeremy Paul, the hill tribes of northern Thailand must have seemed an unlikely venue.

In just over 12 years Kazakhstan has recast itself from a basket case economy into net creditor to the world thanks to its vast oil reserves. But there are worries that the boom is not being used effectively for the benefit of the citizens and that foreign investors might be interested only in exploiting the country's petroleum reserves. Chris Pala reports.

In the bull market it seemed that investment performance would determine the winners and losers in the fast-growing and newly transparent private wealth management industry. But what the wealthy most need is independent advice and a sense of who is good at what. Euromoney surveys the best providers. Peter Lee reports.

Iraq's banks look set to bounce back this year, shrugging off the crippling impact of nationalization, a decade of sanctions and a US-led invasion. Economic reforms introduced by the Coalition Provisional Authority and the US-appointed Iraqi Governing Council have opened the way for the entry of foreign banks and the consolidation of the local private banking sector.

Founding partner, Woodstone Capital Partners

The very richest clients of private banks are natural candidates for the services of investment banks. Hence the big banks' efforts to foster links across their own activities. Welcome to the world of the double-sided business card. Mark Brown reports.

In the summer and autumn of 1993, fewer than a dozen officials worked feverishly in complete secrecy to save Kazakhstan from raging post-Soviet inflation and introduce its first-ever national currency.

As the lead singer of Radiohead, Thom Yorke is one of the world's biggest rock stars and he's known for having quite a temper.

Deal: Center Parcs flotation

In 17 years the Carlyle Group has become one of the world's biggest private-equity firms, with an impressive track record. Managing director David Rubenstein talks about its deals, its image, succession plans and going public. Joanna Hickey reports.