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Client: Dexter CorporationType of advice: defence of hostile bid from International Specialty ProductsAdvisor: Lehman Brothers

Asia’s clean-up of its banking mess is losing momentum. There is recognition of what needs to be done but getting there is proving difficult. The crisis atmosphere has abated and economic recovery will pull the banks along with it. But failure to deal with bad debts will hold countries back.

Head of media and telecommunications, Société Générale

Acquirer: Royal Bank of ScotlandDeal: acquisition of NatWestAmount: £21 billionDate: February 2000Advisers to RBS: Merrill Lynch and Goldman Sachs

Companies: Seagate Technology, Veritas Software, Silver Lake PartnersDeal: synthetic spin-off and leveraged buy-outSize: $20 billion LBODate: November 1999-March 2000

Doing business with politicians is a wretched business, as independent power producers in the Indian subcontinent have learnt lately.

It's easy to be pessimistic about Asia now the US is slowing. US growth and imports helped Asia rebound from the crisis in 1998. In 1999, Asian finance ministers proclaimed to the IMF/World Bank meetings in Washington that exports had kick-started growth - Korea's economy grew by 7% in 1999, following a 5.8% decline in 1998; Thailand's grew by 4% after a 10% fall in 1998. Huge current account surpluses restored currency reserves to healthy levels, rebuilding sovereign creditworthiness despite the assumption of huge contingent liabilities from derelict banking systems.

Russia never seems to play by the same rules as the rest of us. Its macroeconomic indicators for 2000 were the country's best in 30 years. The economy grew by somewhere between 7% and 8%; tax reforms - part of a wide-ranging economic reform plan - helped the government record a fiscal surplus of 3% of GDP, after many years of high deficits; the strong oil price helped Russia to rebuild its foreign currency reserves to $28 billion. Leading Russian companies took steps to improve their dismal record of abusing minority shareholder rights, under pressure from a government that understands the urgent need to attract foreign investment. The government itself concluded a renegotiation of commercial debts with the London club of private sector creditors in August 2000.

Vietnam’s newly created stock market boasts only five stocks, yet one foreign investor reckons its dematerialized system is far superior to London’s. Strong economic growth rates are attracting direct and portfolio investors. Enthusiasts reckon valuations are at their lowest and likely to rise before long.

Three years after the Asian financial crisis confidence has still not returned to the area. Many investors are sceptical that these countries have done enough to avoid repeating the same mistakes. Singapore’s deputy prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, outlines the changes that have been taking place in his country and his vision for the future.

Japan's government debt is frighteningly large – larger by far than any other country's has ever been. Some Japanese economists contend that because the overwhelming bulk of it is held domestically there is no fundamental problem. Yet others, and most outside observers, reckon indebtedness cannot be overcome by growth or fiscal means and is a threat to worldwide stability.

The world's largest non-sovereign borrowers made further efforts to position their bonds as alternatives to increasingly rare sovereign issues in 2000. Futures on US agency bonds began trading, borrowers stuck to calendars in volatile markets and embraced the internet.