African deals are increasing in number but what is the best way for investment banks to get involved? Dominic O’Neill finds out what the key players in Johannesburg, London and Dubai are thinking.

Bank chiefs have finally accepted that their hopes of a level regulatory playing field will remain forlorn. US bankers are up in arms about Europe’s treatment of risk-weighted assets. Europe’s banks face a fault line, where they operate internationally but risk being penalized for the relative size of their balance sheets to national GDP. What does the future hold for banks that could be too big for their borders? Peter Lee reports.

European banks target Latin America

The collateralized loan obligation market has been one of the surprise recovery stories of the past year. US managers are reappraising the opportunities it provides. Will the revival continue, and can it catch on in Europe? Joti Mangat reports.

Market seen as good value after protracted underperformance and earthquake; But care needed in finding recovery potential

CEOs oppose increased reserve ratios; Threats to banks exceeding loan limits

Tier 1 ratio or market solvency triggers?; Bankers fear proposal would create volatility

Universal capital requirements might hinder banks; Investors less concerned about risk

Senate committee report might deter clients; Stock price under pressure

Basle III unpopular with bank bondholders; Regulators insist system will be safer

Electronic trading has transformed foreign exchange into a $4 trillion a day flow monster, delivering record revenues to those with scale. But by focusing on building their own internal platforms, banks have left themselves open to attack from the high-frequency traders, who pick them off at will and force them to hold more risk. Now the banks are fighting back. Hamish Risk reports.

The dominance of the top-three FX banks is being challenged by the chasing pack of dealers. It isn’t just a case of luring clients onto their internal trading platforms. Clients want different things, and multi-dealer exchanges are beginning to prosper. Tom Osborn reports.

When Euromoney calls to book appointments with the heads of the top 10 FX banks before the results of this year’s poll appear, the typical response from their press officers is: “Can we get back to you, he is travelling in Asia right now.” This tells you all you need to know about growth in the foreign exchange markets, with Asia as its new frontier.

Russia’s underdeveloped capital markets are on track for much-needed modernization. However an arcane legal system and entrenched attitudes could yet put a brake on the pace of reform. Lucy Fitzgeorge-Parker reports.

The decision by Standard & Poor’s to place the US on credit watch with a “negative outlook” is a watershed. With politicians unwilling to attack spiralling welfare costs, a bond crisis might be just around the corner.

Australian Treasury stops exchange takeover; Nasdaq, CME possible alternative partners

Tiny adjustments on inputs can produce big benefits on capital ratios: the temptation to manipulate is obvious.

The region’s economic growth is healthy but over-reliant on the rest of Europe. Asia beckons.

Technology has changed the game forever. And it is costing the banks dearly. They are returning to an old idea to defend their corner from the predations of high-frequency traders. The answer to the erosion of business may lie in a trick from the equities market: dark pools. Is PureFX back on the table?

Having spurned AIG’s approach, the New York Fed is under pressure to achieve top dollar.

The fee hiatus left by Fannie and Freddie will be filled. But not just yet.

The country faces more than a liquidity crisis; a fiscal restructuring of the economy is required.

Goldman Sachs cut out trading completely in the first quarter – at least that’s what the language of its earnings filing indicates. The bank managed to avoid using the t-word at any point in its earnings announcement, although it mentioned clients 29 times and made 46 references to investment.

Strong first-quarter results at UBS might have come just in time to prevent the implosion of its bid to regain a spot at the top table of investment banking.

Africa has much to tempt a growing economy, and China has the money to pay for access to the resources it needs and wants. But it is not the only country with an eye on the continent. Nick Kochan reports.

Given an increasingly positive economic backdrop in Kazakhstan, the prospect of important developments in the local capital markets and growing investor interest, Almaty-based fund manager Compass Asset Management is looking to launch two new funds targeting the resource-rich central Asian state. Brian O’Callaghan, who assumed the post of chief executive at Compass in the summer of 2010, believes that Kazakhstan is strongly positioned to attract new followers in the coming year. "I was bullish on the long-term economic prospects for Kazakhstan before I came here, and I still am," he says.

After a few difficult years, culminating in the resignation of its long-serving chief executive, Italy’s biggest lender is hoping for a fresh start. But plenty of hurdles need to be overcome if it is ever to reassume its position as one of Europe’s leading banks.