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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 The Gambia has had a stable government since 2002 but the growth of the economy has been in spite of this. The government has consistently sent confusing messages to private entrepreneurs and directly undermined important sectors of the economy, such as the re-export trade, with ill-considered interventions and changes in the law.

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

Bahrain I Egypt I Iran I Israel I Jordan I Kuwait I Lebanon I Morocco I Oman I Qatar I Saudi Arabia I United Arab Emirates I Lifetime Achievement Attijariwafa Bank, created when Banque Commerciale de Maroc completed its acquisition of rival Wafabank in October 2004, has again won the award for best bank in Morocco. The country’s largest bank’s return on average equity grew by 13% last year, as the blend of Wafa’s retail strengths and BCM’s traditional corporate and commercial expertise continued to generate solid profits. Attijariwafa grew assets by 28% in the financial year 2005, and net income growth was close to 700%: impressive numbers, and proof that the bank has been able to integrate its acquisition to pull ahead of the competition.

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 When it won the best bank in Japan award in 2004, Shinsei Bank was commended for leading the reform of the turgid Japanese banking sector. It is an indication of Shinsei’s continued commitment to that programme and an indictment of its rivals’ lethargy that the same bank wins in 2006.

Bahrain I Egypt I Iran I Israel I Jordan I Kuwait I Lebanon I Morocco I Oman I Qatar I Saudi Arabia I United Arab Emirates I Lifetime Achievement The best bank in Qatar award has been won by Commercial Bank of Qatar, whose dynamic and bold decision to buy into and manage the National Bank of Oman puts it narrowly ahead of the power and financial muscle of Qatar National Bank.

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 Raiffeisen Bank BiH has been growing very fast, particularly in retail loans (up 25% last year) and SME lending (up 30% last year), and it now has five times more customers than its nearest competitor, an HVB subsidiary.

Austria I Belguim I France I Germany I Greece I Ireland I Italy I Luxembourg I Netherlands I Portugal I Spain I Switzerland I United Kingdom Santander Totta continues to be the most impressively run bank in Portugal. It succeeds in pulling off the neat trick of being both highly profitable and highly appreciated by its clients. Last year business volume increased 10.1%, with the loan book growing 13%. The bank saw its cost to income ratio plumb new debts to 43.3%, helping its return on equity reach an impressive 23.9%.

Austria I Belguim I France I Germany I Greece I Ireland I Italy I Luxembourg I Netherlands I Portugal I Spain I Switzerland I United Kingdom Fortis’s banking business has been boosted by the success of retail banking campaigns and successful cross-selling of insurance and asset management products. The bank recently surprised analysts by posting a first-quarter net profit of €1.33 billion, above the average forecast of €973 million. Net profits at the retail bank grew by an impressive 16% compared with the same period last year and at the commercial bank by 38%.

GLG has maintained its reputation for exceptional double-digit performance allied with skills in managing risk.

All the financial institutions doing business in the Middle East have had excellent results in the past year. Bank after bank has delivered record profits, with the best showing earnings up by 100% or more.

Euromoney Awards for excellence 2006

Daniel Bouton, chairman of Société Générale, plays the game by his own rules. He doesn’t believe that to be a successful investment bank you have to be a global player with a franchise in almost every market. He won’t be rushed into acquisitions. And he thinks that French banks have an exciting story to tell. Having put potential high-growth markets such as equity derivatives and emerging Europe at the heart of his bank’s engine room, is he about to turn the accepted wisdoms on their head? Clive Horwood reports, with research by Lawrence White.