New AT1 deals from Chinese and UK challenger banks; TLAC securities “must appeal to fixed income investors”

Haunted by the global crisis, policymakers from the US to the UK are erecting national barriers and waging a war against too-big-to-fail banking. Vice-chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp Thomas Hoenig defends the drive toward balkanization.

US officials are waging a war to promote the leverage ratio as a binding constraint on banks’ capital frameworks, further imperilling strategic planning for cross-border lenders.

You’d have thought the new CEO of Santander needed little introduction. But Ana Botín’s advisers have played a cannily surgical game… so far.

As 2015 dawns, senior bankers are still poring over the implications of the Financial Stability Board’s proposals to boost their total loss absorbing capacity (TLAC) to ensure that beyond common equity, Additional Tier 1 capital and Tier 2 subordinated debt, banks still have enough liabilities on which losses can be imposed in the event of a failure so that taxpayers never again have to bail them out.

Throughout 2014, Euromoney’s Research Group was constantly monitoring the views and opinions of market participants via our benchmark rankings, pulse surveys and Euromoney Country Risk service.

Judge rules profits must be explained; 28 people to have their email searched.

Markets ended 2014 beset by fear. Deflation is now a global concern and the doomsayers see rapidly falling commodity prices as the canary in the coalmine. But the nattering nabobs of negativism are wrong.

Many of South Africa’s leading companies see a once-in-a-generation chance to build businesses across the continent. Banks in South Africa spy an opportunity too, by growing around the region alongside their clients. Can they make the most of it?

1 – the value in trillions of euros the European Central Bank is planning to expand its balance sheet by to try and revive the flagging eurozone economy.

Emerging market fixed-income and FX markets are poised for a third year of volatility thanks to a slowing China, strengthening dollar, lower oil prices, and the prospect of a US rate hike. The shortage of investable high yielders, as well as the declining creditworthiness of the likes of Russia and Venezuela, will also bedevil markets.

Want to see improvements to your town or city? Don’t just rely on municipal budgets. New crowdfunding sources are springing up. The disruptors even have municipal bond markets in their sights.

A flurry of new deals points to an exciting new business possibility for Apac banks in 2015.

Some parts of the US market are ‘carnage’; energy bond maturity wall is not due until after 2017.

Corporate treasurers and asset managers are turning to innovative predictive tools that help identify FX volatility and liquidity opportunities, bankers say. However, not everybody on the buy side is convinced the new solutions are for them.

Despite depreciation risk next year, amid the global currency war, market players say the battle between RMB offshore financial hubs and trading volumes will go from strength to strength.

Stock Connect, dark liquidity, Japan's reflationary bid and Beijing's policy direction dominated the Asian equity landscape in 2014 and set the stage for 2015.

The deadline is approaching for the Basel intraday liquidity rules. But without a defined set of procedures, and concerns around costs, banks are moving forward reluctantly.

If forthcoming regulation fails to guarantee robust loss-absorbing capacity at central clearing counterparties (CCPs), their increasing systemic importance could usher in a new generation of organizations that are too big to fail.