Global banks are in retreat. Some countries stand on the brink of exclusion from the conventional financial system.

It is an unfortunate inevitability of modern life that when a woman who runs a sovereign wealth fund goes to the White House, she attracts headlines for her choice of handbag. But it takes a uniquely southeast Asian twist to turn this into a political vendetta.

Franz Kafka, who wrote about European bureaucratic labyrinths, would have found much inspiration in Cuba officialdom’s Soviet-inspired maze.

Could the financial markets ever be used as a weapon of mass destruction?

FSB chair Carney marks his own homework, awarding A* grades for the board's financial regulatory reforms – this is hogwash.

Collapsing investment banking volumes have prompted global players to pull back from emerging Europe over the past two years. But Citi’s Jim Cowles, CEO for EMEA, has alternative sources of revenue to fall back on.

Banks’ sovereign coverage models in the spotlight; consistency is key, say market leaders.

Foreign funds expected to rush in; move coincides with privatisation drive.

Regional stakes join FMO and Norfund assets; indirect, lower ownership reduces liability.

Argentina’s banks are facing a difficult transition period as the government and the central bank (BCRA) attempt to lower inflation and the country’s base rates, as well as facing subdued credit demand thanks to the economic recession.

New regulation in the pipeline to cover fintech companies; large banks wary of cannibalisation of revenues.

US bank winds down GCF business; concern over BNY Mellon dominance.

More flexible sustainability bonds to take off; social impact bonds also set for boost.

Nordic blockbuster furthers synthetic rise; negative connotations linger.

Benign scenarios used by EBA; CCAR reveals greater capital shortfalls.

White House report baffles community bankers; a quarter of small credit unions closed.

Chairman ousts centralising CEO; successor lauds branch model.

The world’s richest nations need to lead the way on transparency. The UK should be embarrassed that it hasn’t, especially when it comes to money laundering in eastern Europe.

The country’s banking sector is the most undercapitalized in Europe, so French calls for a delay to new capital rules are growing.

Arundhati Bhattacharya is an SBI veteran: she joined in 1977.

Nazir Razak has a complicated bio: one of Malaysia’s most talented bankers, architect of CIMB’s expansion into Asean, and brother of besieged prime minister Najib Razak. Despite a clean image, he was dragged into the 1MDB scandal in March, suspended himself from the bank, and was cleared. Now back at work, he discusses the challenges facing his bank, his country and the region.

For decades the world’s banks followed their multinational corporate customers across borders and built up international networks to finance trade and serve surging capital flows. Now those cross-border flows of traded goods lag even weak global GDP growth. Nationalism is on the rise. The era of the global banks may have already ended with the financial crisis. Is the entire concept of global banking at risk too?

Cuba’s return to the international community will be long, complex and fraught with contradictions – not least in financial services. Reform remains a dirty word in a system where banking services for the masses are non-existent. The authorities talk a good game about attracting foreign investment – but how will they attract capital when the central bank won’t even discuss what reserves it holds?

As judge Thomas Griesa wrote in his ruling: ‘Put simply, President Macri’s election changed everything.’

Arundhati Bhattacharya already had one of the toughest jobs in India as chairman of State Bank of India. Not only is it the country’s largest financial institution, but it is also woven inextricably into India’s social fabric. She has made her job harder still by proposing a seven-sided bank merger. But as technological innovation increases and as asset quality plunges across public banks, bigger may not necessarily be better.

New deals show innovation; mounting concern about defaults.

Mongolia is living through interesting times. August alone featured, in this order: the revelation of a vast and unexpected deficit, the collapse of the currency, a 4.5 percentage point hike in interest rates in a single hit, a sovereign downgrade, and the subsequent downgrade of almost the entire national banking sector.

Technology is finally bringing banking services to the unbanked in both developing and developed markets. While technology companies are driving this transformational shift, it looks increasingly likely that traditional banks will ultimately be service providers. They have everything to gain if they can form partnerships and create a long-term strategy.

When microfinance banks in Africa speak of the rise of new technology, they usually focus on its potential and, perhaps disingenuously, play down the risks. They say the spread of mobile phones and internet access enables small loans to reach Africa’s rural poor more efficiently than ever before. But while international microfinancier Finca is aware of these opportunities, it knows from painful experience in Uganda that new technology opens up new vulnerabilities too.

From Aadhaar to iSPIRT – your guide to Indian biometrics.