Search results for

"I hate fancy-dress parties," says Henry Strutt, the 43-year-old chairman and chief executive of Jardine Fleming. "But I'm made to go by my wife. When I get there I usually have a good time." He was most recently seen partying in a 1960s hippy outfit, complete with false beard and strapped-on padded stomach. Fellow partygoers thought he looked like Benny Hill, a British slapstick comedian.

A potential powerhouse player entered Moscow's brokerage market with the creation last month of Brunswick Warburg, a 50:50 joint venture between SBC Warburg and Brunswick Investment, one of the country's leading independent brokers. The venture could be the first of many, with JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Merrill Lynch all expected soon to develop Russian operations. Indeed, the changing nature of the Russian market has led some to speculate that no small, independent Russian broker will survive until the end of the decade unless it forms an alliance with a deep-pocketed foreign partner. Moscow has been described as one of the most over-brokered cities in the world, with more than 200 licensed firms chasing a reported daily equity turnover of less than $100 million.

Many banks have been forced out of Euro-commercial paper recently. With margins thin, large volumes are a prerequisite of profit. The prospect of European monetary union has, however, led to rapid market growth. This year SBC Warburg managed to raise market share to 27% of total outstandings. SBC Warburg attributes much of its success to the use of electronic trading in its spot and forward foreign exchange operations, which in turn has enhanced its capabilities in synthetic Euro-commercial paper.

Awards for Excellence 1997

Awards for Excellence 1997

Awards for Excellence 1997

Awards for Excellence 1997

Awards for Excellence 1997

Ireland's AIB (the initials stand for Allied Irish Banks) is small but perfectly formed. Over the years, it has acquired a number of businesses, such as Goodbody Stockbrokers and John Govett asset managers, that have rounded out the full range of its international banking and financial services.

A bank can offer a wide range of financial products with the most sophisticated of structures across a host of countries, but if it cannot process the paper and payments they generate, the exercise is useless. That's why one of Euromoney's new awards is the bank best at transaction services.

Awards for Excellence 1997

Since teetering on the edge of bankruptcy early this year amid expectations of being the world's first Brady bond defaulter, Bulgaria appears to be bouncing back. The turning point was the installation of a staunchly pro-reform government in April since when prices across Bulgarian debt markets have rocketed.