Fact or fiction – a forthcoming book on 1MDB raises new whistleblowing story.

Banker-DJ David Solomon hits a sweet spot with remix review.

Front End looks back 10 years, on the views of the chief executives of 11 big banks interviewed in the wake of the banking crisis.

September 2018

DBS marked its 50th anniversary by commissioning a musical based on its web series 'Sparks'.

As political headaches dog efforts to bolster banking integration, fostering European champions through mergers is the least of the single supervisor’s worries.

Finally, some progress in Indonesian infrastructure – but familiar battles remain.

Credit scoring changes could be the key to breaking Brazil’s interest-rate burden.

Corporate and household borrowing in France continues to outpace eurozone peers, as measures are introduced to tackle the increase.

Open banking requires incumbents to improve users’ experience of everyday services.

As the pool of fintech startups in Latin America deepens, ambitious founders have regional expansion in their sights. But varying regulations and difficulty accessing capital make such growth difficult.

Sovereign funds and Japanese banks fared differently in their financial crisis deals. Nomura seems to have achieved the least.

For the first time since HSBC’s acquisition of a Mexican bank in 2002, its franchise is enjoying positive momentum. Country chief Nuno Matos says more customers and a new culture are key to getting the bank’s market share back.

Banks must be front and centre for Europe to mobilize its financial system in the fight against climate change.

Banks have found it hard to lend to Mexico’s large SME segment, but persistence is beginning to pay off for those with the requisite focus – and skills.

Is former ECB chief Jean-Claude Trichet the real villain of the piece?

We need to change the banking model – and that means every person has to take some responsibility. Perhaps UNEP FI’s principles are the way forward.

With presidential elections and the threat to Nafta hanging over Mexico, international investors pared risk to the country and deal flow slowed. Finally, clarity is returning and the prospects for capital markets activity are looking better. But could Amlo’s presidency change prospects?

In early 2016, the Middle East’s two largest countries looked set to become the world’s most vibrant frontier markets. Two years on, many bankers doubt that either Iran or Saudi Arabia can live up to these expectations.

Banks and non-banks are battling for market share in a property market that finally seems to be slowing down in the face of multiple headwinds.

As Chinese bond markets are set to be included in indices for the first time, a big change is coming to the global financial system. Chinese government bonds could become the new Bunds in portfolios, but Xi Jinping might have bigger targets in his sights.

Impact investing would seem an unlikely business for avaricious private equity funds. But many are embracing what they see as a new opportunity. Should we be sceptical or see private equity’s buy-in as proof of the impact investment concept?

Neal Cross brought a range of unusual experiences to his job as chief innovation officer at DBS, one of the world’s most impressive banks for digital ideas. His desire to disrupt and transform doesn’t stop at the bank – it extends to Sumatran orangutans.

Islamic finance has become too focused on getting arcane structures to be technically Shariah compliant, but a new initiative in Malaysia attempts to make Islamic finance socially positive once more – and to measure its success.

The transition to capitalism has brought prosperity to much of emerging Europe but left large sections of society struggling to catch up – now Austria’s Erste Group is going back to its roots to bring prosperity to the region through social banking.

Autumn bank refinancing round under scrutiny; analysts warn of US sanctions tail risk.

Vancity is the largest credit union in Canada, but by 2007 it was acting like a commercial bank – yet now, after steering every part of the business back to being mission-based, it is delivering record profits, lower risk, new membership and improved employee engagement. Has it shown that the ‘triple bottom line’ of people-planet-profit can be achieved?

Over 20 years after microfinance first arrived in Kyrgyzstan, the largest players are transforming into banks to lower funding costs and increase financial inclusion. Can they convince the country’s farmers to put their cash into banks instead of cows?

Triodos Bank is probably the most sustainable bank in the world. Behind every decision it makes – the loans and investments it underwrites, the people it hires, the suppliers it uses, the way it reports and the way it serves its stakeholders – lies sustainability. It also makes a profit. Is it a model for the broader industry?

Any important new market needs its innovators, cheerleaders and pioneers… As banks try to build more responsible and sustainable businesses, these are the champions of impact banking at 10 of the world’s biggest firms. From green and blue finance to financial inclusion and social banking, they are leading the way and setting an agenda for others to follow.