The impediments to providing more trade finance to emerging-market clients are well known, but that does not make them any easier to overcome. Could the ultimate solution be in turning trade finance into an attractive asset class for institutional investors?

Five quarters of profit after years of flat performance; consumer revamp gains traction.

The search is on for masters of the bitcoin universe to rival the bond traders who appalled and fascinated the public in the 1980s.

European bank mergers should be of more interest to European than US investment banks.

French bankers, like its politicians, do best when they promise less and achieve more – especially on the international stage.

Any attempt to deal with Europe’s non-performing loans always seems to end up in a fight.

Woori’s woes shine a light on a banking system that is backward and lacks ambition.

The spectre of collusion may not hang over the US wealth industry for much longer.

For the banking industry, 2017 was a time of trying finally to resolve issues of the past and avoid new mistakes, yet dig beneath the surface and it was also 12 months of intrigue and, sometimes, farce. Here are Euromoney’s alternative awards for 2017.

An important step to confer respectability on trading in bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies was taken in mid December when analysts from Deutsche Bank highlighted the role played in the emerging market by male leveraged foreign exchange investors from Japan.

Initiatives designed to attract investment to conservation got a boost at the end of the year.

Primary debt capital markets have been remarkably slow to embrace technology. Vested interests are at play: lucrative underwriting fees will not be wrested from the banks without a fight. But automation is coming, partly driven by regulators looking into dysfunctional allocation.

Arundhati Bhattacharya left big shoes to fill as chair of State Bank of India, but Rajnish Kumar’s arrival has coincided with a handy recapitalization of public sector banks that will help him achieve his main aim.

Monetary policy has delivered global growth and booming asset prices. During the financial crisis and its aftermath, central bankers demonstrated admirable pragmatic radicalism. But monetary policy is not a cure-all, and another global downturn will present an even tougher test for policymakers.

Marco Abele, former head of digital for private banking at Credit Suisse, plans to tokenize billionaires’ luxury assets so millionaires can enjoy them too.

Although banks like talking about bringing digital services to trade finance, a surprisingly low proportion of the 7,000-plus participants in Euromoney’s annual trade finance survey are actually using the technology.

The eventual impact of the revised capital rules will be less severe than bankers feared a year ago, even though many lament regulators’ pivot away from internal ratings.

Outgoing chief executive was determined to leave HSBC without the deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) continuing to loom over the bank’s entire business and reputation.

The complexity of ERP and remote systems could leave treasurers exposed to FX risks. As automated systems look to fill this gap, there are still benefits from having a wide understanding of the whole business.

India receives global attention for its digital innovation as a tool of financial inclusion, but it couldn’t get off the ground without a unique non-profit institution charged with creating the infrastructure.

Australian banks will face a year-long review into their conduct, but it’s not clear what they will expose that’s not already out there.

News broke last week of an intriguing insolvency petition in India: under the new Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, high-profile disputes are now commonplace, but what’s interesting here is it pits a Chinese policy bank against an Indian private-sector corporation.

Without fanfare, BNP Paribas is building its network among UK corporate clients. It’s following a template that’s already paying dividends in Germany. Is it on track to be Europe’s pre-eminent bank?

The Single Resolution Board was wrong to wholly redact the Spanish bank’s valuation report but it will fight hard to keep its workings as opaque as possible.

The former head of Saudi Arabia’s CMA was a far-sighted internationalist whose commitment to transparency, technocratic leadership, governance, empowerment of women and young people foreshadowed the far-reaching reforms now energising the country.