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Standard Chartered has opened a branch in Paris to tap into the considerable flow it already sees from French corporates and financial institutions. The bank says the branch will facilitate access for those French firms looking to capitalize on the huge investment flows between key markets in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The team in Paris will be led by Raoul Leblanc.

It’s a truism that hindsight is 20/20 vision. But those who spot the signals of turning markets are visionaries and those who act on these signals are true geniuses.

Abdul Aziz Al-Ghurair After taking over from his father, Abdul Aziz Al-Ghurair went against advice to put his own vision in place.

Despite being neighbours and indeed competitors of US counterparts, Canada’s banks have fared much better than them in avoiding sub-prime related losses. And of all the Canadian financial groups one bank stands out as having enjoyed the best 2007-08 period – TD Bank. TD is the only large bank in Canada to have had no credit-related write-downs.

"Redemptions at par"

Michael Philipp, chairman of Middle East and Africa at Credit Suisse, left the bank last month to set up his own business. His new, independent company will focus on investment management and advisory services in the region.

Perhaps the most exciting story in Saudi banking is Al Rajhi’s conversion from an Islamic retail operation to a wholesale financial institution with corporate and investment banking added to its armoury. The decision to develop the wholesale banking business has not been taken lightly: it has taken Al Rajhi almost 50 years to change its model.

DnB Nor Bank is one of Norway’s largest banks and part of the DnB Nor Group, which also includes brands such DnB Nord, which has cut a dash across a number of markets including the Baltic republics in recent years. With a domestic market share of almost 30% in retail lending and deposits and a similar level of corporate deposits, DnB Nor Bank has an established position. But it continues to grow at an impressive rate: it recorded a healthy 18.6% rise in profits in 2007, largely as a result of higher volumes. Lending rose 17%, deposits grew by 12.9% and income by 9.6%.

Goldman Sachs Goldman Sachs took part in all the standout deals in emerging markets over the past 12 months.

Last month’s Global ABS conference in Cannes was shaping up to be more of a wake than its usual annual party as things in the market went from bad to worse in the first quarter this year. But speakers at the event in June were (not surprisingly, given what they do for a living) determinedly upbeat about the market’s prospects. "We come to praise Caesar, not to bury him," declared Clifford Chance’s Kevin Ingram in the opening panel.

The obsession about Goldman Sachs in the financial world – not least among its competitors – is nothing new.

Crane Bank, headquartered in Kampala, has branches in Iganga, Jinga, Mbale, Lira and Gulu. It is a privately held bank so figures and research are hard to come, but what is clear is that its customers are generally satisfied. The bank claims to be the second largest in Uganda in terms of assets, second for return on equity, and third in profitability. It is a universal bank, offering retail as well as trade finance and investment banking. Crane Bank is another in the region that equity investors will be hoping will be encouraged to launch an IPO soon.