The IFC’s response to the banking crisis in emerging Europe could offer guidance for those seeking a solution to Greece’s woes.

Global banks have their uses but local firms are proving best adapted to this rising region.

Evolution of its financial system gives confidence that the economy will not overheat.

Growing concern in the US that a Greek default could prove to be Europe’s equivalent of the Lehman Brothers collapse threatens to exacerbate trans-Atlantic tensions and spoil trading prospects for global investment banks.

JPMorgan did a fine job in downplaying the significance of its recent payment of $153.6 million to the SEC to settle accusations of fraud over a mortgage-backed CDO squared product from 2007. The SEC had alleged that JPMorgan was negligent in failing to disclose the role that hedge fund Magnetar played in selecting the mortgages in the synthetic CDO, then taking the short side of the credit derivatives trades used to create the portfolio.

$4 billion loan in return for oil; China bolsters strategic relationships in South America

Part one: Middle Eastern private banking debate: The region reconsiders its wealth needs post-crisis

Nathaniel Rothschild’s latest investment vehicle pits huge reward potential against substantial downside risk.

For almost 10 years Josef Ackermann has regularly proved his critics wrong. His latest retort has been to rebalance Deutsche Bank's business mix and maintain returns within a much-changed investment bank. But can he meet the aggressive new targets he has set?

Already a powerhouse in FICC, Barclays Capital is muscling its way into the upper echelons of global M&A advisory and equity capital markets. Its three-year investment programme to build global franchises on the back of Lehman’s US rump is nearly done. The firm’s bosses promise shareholders that they are about to reap the dividends and that revenues and income will flow in. The handful of leading global investment banks have a new competitor to deal with.

The rise of Itaú, led by its chief executive, Roberto Setúbal, is one of the success stories of a generation in banking. Consistency and a canny approach to acquisitions have been the key to Setúbal’s achievements. And that is not going to change even as Itaú Unibanco cements its place as one of the world’s largest banks. Rob Dwyer reports from São Paulo.