With India’s faltering economy lurching from bad to worse the country’s central bank governor-designate has his work cut out to tackle problems ranging from a falling currency and high inflation to urgently needed structural reforms.

More European companies should consider issuing renminbi bonds to build a name in China, despite plentiful euro and dollar financing elsewhere, writes Ingrid Hengster, RBS Country Head, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.

Encumbrance of assets on banks’ balance sheets has shot up in the eurozone periphery especially, sparking a push for greater disclosure in the market amid fears over increased risk sensitivity among unsecured creditors.

The ‘bail-in’ provisions of the European Union’s resolution regime continue to create concerns among creditors about where they stand in the pecking order for payments if everything goes wrong. Meanwhile regulators and owners of bank debt are still evaluating the demand for credit under the new rules.

European regulators are apparently preparing for a regulatory turf war over the reformed Libor benchmark. A draft EU legislative proposal leaked in early June indicates that Brussels feels that Libor falls within its jurisdiction to regulate important market benchmarks, their contributors and their administrators.

Brazilian capital markets are showing signs of life again after a particularly torrid summer as industrial conglomerate Odebrecht priced a $1.7 billion nine-year bond. But investor wariness towards Latin America’s largest economy persists.

China’s economy is embarking on a new and critical phase of development as the country attempts to navigate its way beyond growth for growth’s sake to create an economy that serves the needs of its people.

The leader of the global monetary cycle will profoundly shape investor sentiment towards emerging market assets – with Janet Yellen seen as a dovish boost for markets – given the structural link between US policy rates and foreign ownership of the local government debt stock. But the master-slave relationship of yesteryear is over.

European companies building infrastructure should consider bonds at the very start of a project for the money they need. Bond markets are rapidly becoming the best place to turn as Basel III regulations force banks to lend less and for shorter periods. Bert Schoen, Head of CEEMEA Structured Finance and Bruce Riley, Managing Director, Secured Debt Markets, at RBS, explain.

China’s decision to remove the floor on bank lending rates is meaningful because it paves the way for further interest rate reforms that in time could increase competition in the banking sector, usher in more flexible exchange rates and open the capital account.

As tapering edges closer in the US, attention is turning to how the Fed might deploy its policy arsenal to engineer a rise in interest rates in an orderly fashion, with reverse repo operations on the agenda, say analysts.

Five years on from the financial crisis, high-frequency trading remains under an intense spotlight, with regulators on both sides of the Atlantic determined to crack down on alleged manipulation of markets, triggering an inevitable backlash from market players that claim illiquidity, price distortions and regulatory arbitrage will come to the fore if regulators make good on draconian threats.

Hedge funds that use sophisticated computer systems rather than human judgement to make investment decisions have had a rather torrid summer. An abrupt sell-off across equities, bonds and commodities after official comments that the Fed would look to taper down the asset purchases saw many automated strategies post negative returns.

Despite the strides China is making in the development of its $2.7 trillion government bond market, it remains structurally inefficient, thanks to meagre trading volume in an asset class strangled by the country’s fixed interest rate regime. Calls are growing for greater efforts to develop the government and corporate bond market structure in a bid to boost the efficiency of savings and non-bank financing.

US regulators are dedicating increasing levels of scrutiny to the physical commodities interests of investment banks just as a law allowing Wall Street banks to maintain a presence in the product area comes up for review.

China is on the cusp of a new boom, according to leading academic and advisor to the Communist government.

Insurers are lagging other financial institutions in preparing for the central clearing of derivatives and the knock-on impacts for investment strategy and risk management. Ian Cooper, Head of UK Insurance and Pension Sales, and Emily Penn, Director ALM Advisory at RBS, explain.

A regulatory-driven initiative to boost interoperability in the European trilateral repo market should boost the efficiency of collateral. However, before the new system can be put in place, there is the sizeable task of bringing settlement systems together.

The ECB’s recent decision to reduce haircuts on funding collateral comprising asset-backed securities should be a boon for the moribund European securitization industry, but its real target is the continent’s small and medium-sized company sector, which has struggled to secure bank support since the financial crisis.

The Brics economies are all experiencing difficult growing pains, but India is probably most at risk of being left behind, afflicted by slowing growth and a raft of legacy structural problems it failed to tackle in the good times.

Award-winning Canadian journalist and commentator Andrew Coyne, who has followed Mark Carney’s career closely and interviewed him several times, shares his thoughts on what you should know about the new Bank of England governor.

A faster way to pay suppliers marks a new era for international trade as it helps companies unlock working capital and improve cash flow. Bank Payment Obligations (BPOs) are one tool among many though, so companies should think carefully about when to use them.

As heavy outflows, product withdrawals and confusion over pricing vex the ETF industry, BlackRock softens its claim that investor demand had made ETFs the ‘true market’. It’s unclear whether the problems are a blip or a more serious threat to the products.

A scarcity of loans is undermining new issuance of collateralized loan obligations. Managers are trying to squeeze extra life out of existing issues, reinvesting capital years after the reinvestment period has ended. It can be good news for investors if it helps avoid a default, but can also lead to delays in repayment.

Turkey has transformed, in a matter of a few weeks, from the poster child of emerging market excellence to a volatile economy, with an uncertain macroeconomic and political backdrop, that threatens to reprice the sovereign risk premium. The truth lies somewhere in between.

Video commentary by Tino Kam, SEPA product executive at RBS

The UK government is hoping investor appetite for renewables and conventional power generation will grow after unveiling the long-awaited update of its Electricity Market Reforms (EMR). Richard Saint, Managing Director, Corporate Advisory and Sue Milton, Senior Director, Energy Structured Finance at RBS, explain.

The ruling party is likely to secure a resounding victory in the parliamentary elections, in part thanks to a lack of viable contenders, analysts say, boosting the Abenomics agenda. Nevertheless, growth-expectations remain mixed.

A cyclical correction or a structural shift? Gold’s aggressive recent sell-off has revived the debate about whether the commodity is a legitimate hedge against Armageddon financial forces, while the jury is out on whether fundamental or technical forces are driving the bullion’s price.

The first renminbi (RMB) swap line between China and a G7 central bank – a three-year agreement with the Bank of England (BofE) – is a safety net that will boost the confidence of UK banks to become more actively involved in RMB transactions.