South Korea’s new president, Lee Myung Bak, urgently wants the privatization of Korea Development Bank; he hopes it will become globally competitive. But some question the wisdom of the deal. Lawrence White reports from Seoul.

Romania is vulnerable to the global credit crisis, with its current account in deficit, a budget shortfall and a domestic credit binge.

New organization for the merged RBS/ABN business is unveiled.

Turkish companies are the rising stars of corporate governance in emerging Europe. But CEZ remains the one to beat.

UK PFI deal taps loan market for entire £2.2 billion.

Credit Suisse has appointed Chris Tuffey as the new head of European debt syndicate. Tuffey replaces John Fleming, who, after nine years in the job, and 14 at the bank, has left the business. Tuffey has worked at Credit Suisse for 21 years, spending much of the past 10 associated with emerging markets and investment-grade corporate syndication. In addition to syndication, he ran emerging markets origination for the past two years.

Thanks to its growing reputation as one of the most business-friendly countries in the former USSR, the Republic of Georgia has established a strong investor following with its first ever Eurobond. Lead managers JPMorgan and UBS reported that the $500 million five-year maiden issue in April was more than three times oversubscribed, enabling them to price it at the tight end of the 7.5% to 7.75% range.

Investment banks are rushing to offer systematic payoffs and smart underlyings as structured notes, partly in response to investors’ growing mistrust of more complex products. But is replicating hedge fund strategies in note form as simple as they are trying to make out?

Just as banks in Russia were beginning to resemble their peers outside the country, engaging in conventional retail and corporate banking, the western financial market crisis hit. Reduced availability of long-term funding from abroad highlights the shortage of such a market in Russia and reveals a systemic vulnerability. Will this help state-owned banks, which had previously been losing market share, turn the tables on their privately owned rivals?