.

The Indian Ocean island seems to have turned the corner and is pushing higher in Euromoney’s country risk survey rankings.

The bank – along with Egypt – has been on nothing short of a rollercoaster ride for the past four years. It has been exciting and scary, says CEO Hisham Ezz Al Arab, but the worst is very much in the past. How did the bank survive? And what is it looking forward to?

When Standard Bank ran into trouble during its plans for emerging market domination, the board decided it would take two chief executives to wrap up its global business and bring the bank back to its African roots. How can two co-CEOs pull together for one cause?

Despite headwinds affecting banks in West Africa, Ecobank group’s financial results have been supported by strong CIB business in the region. Euromoney digs into the numbers.

Efforts to transform the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) to a thriving bourse with a market capitalization of $1 trillion through the introduction of an elite premium board has been met with scathing criticism by some and praise by others.

Union Capital executives reveal why now is the right time to set up shop in Africa's largest market, despite a competitive banking landscape and the current deal-flow drought.

Liquidity on Zimbabwe’s bourse has been hit hard year-to-date, amid the domestic political funk and a lack of foreign-investor appetite for sub-Saharan Africa, more generally.

Standard Bank is the first bank in Africa to implement core banking systems SAP and Finacle, amid ever-increasing pressures to consolidate client data.

Access Bank has become the second bank in Nigeria to receive a rating from Moody’s, illustrating the bank’s strengths despite challenging macroeconomic conditions.

The head of the Nigerian public pension fund commission reveals governance and diversification reforms, amid a bull market for savings in Africa's largest economy.

The contingent lifting of western sanctions on the world's biggest untapped market has been met with cautious optimism by the financial industry.

It was to this journalist’s surprise that when making a short trip to Johannesburg for business, she was to be transported back to the airport at the end of her trip by electric car.

Each year, Euromoney’s Awards for Excellence prompt a variety of pitches – good and bad – from banks all over the globe. In Africa, which has some of the most under-developed countries in terms of banking, not only is it important for banks’ pitches to highlight strong fundamentals, profit growth and shareholder returns, but technological innovation that can leapfrog older, dated methods in banking and sometimes be the key to winning an award.

Lessons to learn from rest of Africa; local banks may be left behind.

As Ghana prepares to return to the Eurobond market, bankers say the sovereign’s debt sustainability will be tested, amid weak real-money appetite for frontier economies.

Well-functioning stock market; structural surprises still likely.

While the central bank has ruled out further currency devaluation, markets continue to price in a weaker naira and the prospect of weak foreign capital inflows.

Like everything else in Nigeria, investment banking will be hit by weak oil prices. Local players may struggle more than their global counterparts.

Commodity price drop will drive NPLs; difficulties could help local capital markets.

The security crisis brought on by the rise of Islamic State could turn Iran from pariah to much-needed partner to the west. Financial sanctions have hit both Iran’s economy and its banks hard. Inflation is rampant, NPLs are soaring, while banks lack capital. Corporates can’t get the funding they need. Local bank chiefs are itching to open their doors once again to foreign counterparties. If sanctions are lifted, what will the world’s bankers find in Tehran and beyond?

Up to $120 billion moved in-house in three years; not relying on outside firms for alpha.

ICBC’s sheer scale in its domestic markets makes it a competitor to fear. But the Chinese bank’s management, strategy and intelligent approach to overseas expansion mark it out as a global bank of the future.

Standard Bank named best bank in Africa, local African investment banks win regional awards.

Citi remains the most consistent leader in emerging markets investment banking.

Regional awards • Country awards • Press release • View full 2015 results

Credit Suisse stands out among its European and US peers, for both the strength of its origination business, and its advice to sellers and buyers alike.

To fill Africa’s substantial infrastructure gap, governments need to work with investors to produce viable and worthy projects. South Africa is illustrative.

Mobile money in Africa has been dominated by Safaricom’s M-Pesa in Kenya, but the banking sector will be much better equipped to lead the sector in the long term, says one investor. However, in the short-term, regulations will prove key in determining who wins market share.

The semi-autonomous Iraqi state is set to be the latest sovereign issuer despite its geopolitical quagmire – posing an allocation dilemma for yield-hungry institutional investors.