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Can Bouton’s unique vision drive SG forward?

Botswana I Ethopia I The Gambia I Ghana I Kenya I Malawi I Mauritius I Namibia I Nigeria I Senegal I South Africa I Swaziland I Tanzania I Togo I Uganda I Zambia I Zimbabwe After four decades of uninterrupted civilian leadership, progressive social policies and significant capital investment, Botswana is one of the most dynamic economies in Africa and in 2005 attained a per capita GDP of more than $10,000 – making it a middle-income country – when GDP rose 4.5%. The strong economy has clearly benefited the country’s banks but necessarily some have benefited more than others.

Albania I Belarus I Bosnia & Herezegovina I Bulgaria I Croatia I Czech Republic I Georgia I Hungary I Poland I Romania I Russia I Serbia I Slovakia I Slovenia I Turkey I Ukraine The past year has been a period of immense change in the Ukrainian banking sector, with western European houses turning their attention to the country in their hunger for new assets. This year’s best bank award winner, Aval Bank, has been one of the beneficiaries of this, having been acquired by Raiffeisen International in August and being fully consolidated into the group since October 1 2005.

Can Bouton’s unique vision drive SG forward?

Botswana I Ethopia I The Gambia I Ghana I Kenya I Malawi I Mauritius I Namibia I Nigeria I Senegal I South Africa I Swaziland I Tanzania I Togo I Uganda I Zambia I Zimbabwe After a decade of World Bank and IMF-sponsored reforms – or rather attempts at reform – the Togolese economy remains stagnant, with GDP growth of just 1% in 2005 compared with population growth of about 2.72%. Lack of transparency in government institutions has hampered efforts to implement economic reform measures and encourage foreign investment. Periodic bouts of political unrest have been problematic for Togo’s development.

Excellence in its debt and equity business combined with a solid M&A platform means that Credit Suisse stands out from its rivals.

Botswana I Ethopia I The Gambia I Ghana I Kenya I Malawi I Mauritius I Namibia I Nigeria I Senegal I South Africa I Swaziland I Tanzania I Togo I Uganda I Zambia I Zimbabwe One of the most stable democracies in Africa, Senegal is now 12 years into an ambitious reform programme that has helped the economy to grow at more than 5% a year since 1994. In 2005, GDP grew an impressive 6.1% and inflation remains low at just 1.7% in 2005. However, the country remains poor, with GDP per capita of just $1,800 in 2005. In the banking sector, Compagnie Bancaire de l’Afrique Occidentale has grown substantially in recent years and is now the third-largest bank in the West African Monetary Union. The bank has also grown its market shares in the crucial natural resources market and in 2004, the last year for which figures are available, increased its assets by almost 40%.

Australia I China I Hong Kong I India I Indonesia I Japan I Malaysia I Mongolia I Pakistan I Philippines I Singapore I Taiwan I Thailand

Botswana I Ethopia I The Gambia I Ghana I Kenya I Malawi I Mauritius I Namibia I Nigeria I Senegal I South Africa I Swaziland I Tanzania I Togo I Uganda I Zambia I Zimbabwe After years of unfulfilled expectations following the resumption of fair elections in 2002 – corruption in government was proved to be a problem not unique to a one-party state – the Kenya economy finally looked as if it was getting back on its feet in 2005, with GDP growth of more than 5%.

Bahamas I Bardados I Bermuda I Dominician Republic I Jamaica I Trinidad & Tobago I Costa Rica I El Salvador I Guatemala I Honduras I Nicaragua I Panama I Argentina I Bolivia I Brazil I Chile I Colombia I Ecuador I Mexico I Paraguay I Peru I Uruguay I Venezuela

Botswana I Ethopia I The Gambia I Ghana I Kenya I Malawi I Mauritius I Namibia I Nigeria I Senegal I South Africa I Swaziland I Tanzania I Togo I Uganda I Zambia I Zimbabwe Uganda grew steadily in 2005, adding 4% to real GDP largely through increases in exports – including its main agricultural exports, such as coffee.

Australia I China I Hong Kong I India I Indonesia I Japan I Malaysia I Mongolia I Pakistan I Philippines I Singapore I Taiwan I Thailand Commonwealth Bank of Australia wins this year’s award for best bank in Australia. The country’s second-largest bank by assets, CBA beat its closest rivals in financial strength and performance terms. Earning a net interest margin of almost 2.5% and a return on average assets of 1.33% in the latest financial year, CBA benefited from one of the industry’s lowest cost-income ratios to produce a return on average equity of 15.71%.