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UK food company Uniq has terminated bid talks with a private equity player over fears that a highly leveraged takeover would jeopardize the company's pension fund. The company said the main reason for terminating talks was "the leveraged nature of the potential bidder's proposed capital structure and its impact on the pension position."

Christian Weller von Ahlefeld has been appointed CFO of Gfk Group, the world's fifth largest market research firm. The German company is restructuring its management board after the loss of board member Heinrich Lizenroth in the Tsunami disaster. The 46-year-old von Ahlefeld will take on responsibility for converting the company's accounting process in line with IFRS. He has previously held CFO positions at Siemens and media company Tele Munchen Gruppe.

Asia's banks have capitalized on better general economic conditions by cleaning up long-overdue problems. With a few exceptions this has meant the sector is stronger throughout the region.

The EU-induced removal of state guarantees to the Landesbanken has prompted mergers and other inter-bank arrangements. But competition remains a burning issue in Germany's overbanked market and there is room and a need for much more consolidation.

If you are passing the head office of the mighty Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt you might notice a red Opel Kadett parked outside. Scrawled along its sides in big bright letters is the slogan: "Never again, Deutsche Bank or its partners!"

Risks of hedge funds, currencies and commodities are preying much more heavily on the minds of bankers this year than before, claims a report by CSFI, an independent City of London think-tank. The survey, Banana Skins has run for 10 years and is based on responses from 440 banking industry players in 54 countries. Hedge funds, currencies and commodities all moved up more than nine places in the rankings of banking risks compared with the 2003 results.

Why biggest isn't always smartest | Methodology

A proposed expansion of Saudi Arabia's rail system is set to be one of the biggest construction projects in the Middle East and should revolutionize freight distribution in the region.

The SEC doesn't know how many hedge funds there are and distrusts their secretive ways. Its ruling that they should register with it has prompted claims that it is ultra vires, will raise costs to unsustainable levels and reduce the competitiveness of onshore US funds. Unsurprisingly some funds are seeking ways to sidestep the requirement.

Why biggest isn't always smartest | Methodology

Euromoney has revamped its internet technology awards, which in past years have appeared in our November edition, so as significantly to enhance their usefulness for our readers. In the past, teams of Euromoney journalists have visited banks and other providers for demonstrations of their internet and other electronic offerings in the foreign exchange, fixed income, equity, derivatives and investor services marketplaces. The journalists have then chosen winners across a variety of categories based on breadth of functionality and ease of use of electronic platforms. In making these judgments, our journalists have acted almost as a proxy for providers' own customers. This year, Euromoney directly surveyed banks' and other providers' customer bases and asked end users which banks and other professional market players were doing the best job in providing internet and electronic services across a range of markets and functions.

After a totally barren 2003 and a hesitant 2004, Germany's primary equity market looks to be reviving. Bad memories of the dot-com crash and the generally weak equity culture mean there's no rush to market but much is expected of private-equity exits.