Kyrgyzstan’s central bank governor, Ulan Sarbanov, has been placed under house arrest in the course of a government investigation into funds he transferred to the previous president, Askar Akayev, in 1999.

The jumbo covered bond market was 10 years old this year. Its key characteristic has always been liquidity. But one analyst thinks this is no longer the case. Is the jumbo market in for a shock? Mark Brown finds out more.

State-owned Vneshtorgbank is set to continue its rapid expansion via a share swap to acquire several foreign banks owned by the Russian central bank, including London-based Moscow Narodny Bank and Paris-based Eurobank.

Why CFOs should stop mistrusting hedge funds

The Philippines’ state pension schemes are in a parlous financial condition and in desperate need of reform, but the government has no money. A private sector solution is available and there is time to fix the problems, but only if politicians leave well alone. Chris Leahy reports.

Another round of changes to financial legislation could reshape the German covered bond market. But it isn’t the new Pfandbrief Act that has got banks most excited. Laurence Neville reports.

Intrigue surrounds FSA views of an HBOS tier 1 deal. And the future’s not Bright for the bank’s funding chief.

The first of China’s four largest state-owned banks, China Construction Bank, hit the road in October for its well-trailed IPO. Despite a $8 billion offering, the largest IPO globally this year, CCB eschewed a New York listing, spooked by the Sarbanes-Oxley straitjacket, opting for Hong Kong alone.

Do hedge funds need strategic advice from investment bankers? And do banks need to set up new departments to offer it? Yes, reckon UBS and CSFB; no, say many of their competitors. Antony Currie reports on whether treating hedge funds like other corporate or private-equity clients is the latest development in the industry or just a fancy bit of spin.

Concerns about hedge fund positions in the face of Refco’s collapse have been overstated. The real consequence should be that investors are more wary of what they buy into.

The Inter-American Development Bank’s new president, Luis Alberto Moreno, speaks to Sudip Roy about his plans to make the bank’s policies more relevant to the private sector in a region that is attracting growing investment inflows.

Airline is courting controversy with creditors after abandoning leased aircraft.

Regulatory pressure has forced a crackdown on transaction delays.