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Every chief executive in Europe should heed the lessons of Telecom Italia's defeat. No company is beyond attack and the art of how to fight a hostile raider must be learned, or relearned, urgently. Olivetti's was a daring stroke, inspired by Roberto Colaninno's ambition and by a group of advisers each believing their improbable target was attainable. But its assault was as blunt and simple as a battering ram.

He has been the prince regent of international finance, the central banker in waiting. But Rafael Buenaventura has finally taken on the mantle of Philippines central bank governor more than a year after his old school mate, President Estrada, let it be known that Buenaventura would be the man.

An M&A flood has shaped the financial markets landscape of the past 12 months and seeped into almost every category of our global awards for excellence this year. Lots of banks and investment banks are riding the tide but none more so than Morgan Stanley, our best investment bank of 1999 and best M&A adviser. More than ever, acquisitions have been financed by big loans. That has helped underscore the dominance of Chase, our best bank. Citigroup's success in many categories provides evidence that Citi and Salomon are confounding the sceptics and learning to work together.

And the winner isn't...

With jumbo syndicated loans generating large fees - $600 million for Olivetti's deal alone - syndicated lending is suddenly a big revenue earner for investment banks. But how much old-fashioned lending business is there left for the market's smaller players? Jack Dyson reports.

Alexander Nelson Hood, 4th Viscount Bridport.

For over a decade after 1987, when it first topped the US bond league tables, Merrill Lynch enjoyed unfettered growth, profitability and renown as the world's premier securities firm. Its mix of retail distribution, dependable income and worldwide expansion became the model for big investment banks to aspire to. Then, last year, things started to go wrong. Merrill's bond traders made huge losses, acquisitions in Japan and Canada produced sorry results, US asset managers put in a weak performance and clients defected from Mercury Asset Management. Most worrying, internet stock traders began to encroach on Merrill's retail business. For the past few months, the firm has licked its wounds, fended off merger rumours, and laid new plans. Now it's coming out fighting. Antony Currie reports.

Miguel Angel Rodríguez was elected president of Costa Rica on one of the most reformist platforms the country has ever seen. One year into office he talks about how to end inflation, the difficulties of pushing through privatization and how soon Costa Rica should embrace the dollar.

Manuel Hinds finishes his term as finance minister of El Salvador this month. He is proud of the government's achievements but sees one large piece of unfinished business - getting rid of the national currency.

The last 12 months have not been kind to borrowers. A succession of blows to investor confidence have caused huge swings in sentiment. We started the period with the flight to quality, superliquidity and an avoidance of all things emerging market. We have ended it with a clamour fro credit product, a flight from quality and a surge in emerging market issues. These are the borrowers who best rode the storm.

The leaders of 12 of the world's biggest financial institutions look back on their careers, reflect on how the financial markets have changed and spell out their visions of the future. HSBC's John Bond, Angel Corcóstegui of BSCH, Lloyds TSB's Peter Ellwood, ABN Amro's Jan Kalff, David Komansky of Merrill Lynch, André Lévy-Lang of Paribas, ING's Godfried van der Lugt, Bankers Trust's Frank Newman, Marcel Ospel of UBS, Joseph Roby of Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette, Pedro Luís Uriarte of BBV and CSFB's Allan Wheat spoke to Euromoney