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It may not offer capital markets services or a vast balance sheet, but Lazard has advised public-sector clients through some of the most difficult situations in recent economic history.

This year’s award for best bank transformation in Africa goes to National Microfinance Bank of Tanzania, a bank which has become a model for other African institutions in the areas of mobile banking, SME lending and microfinance.

BAML has moved beyond being a financier to become the lead strategic adviser to a select target group of large corporations.

The revival of its markets, as well as momentum in its traditional investment-banking strengths, has made Morgan Stanley stand out from its competitors over the review period.

To be a top bank in the financing arena in the last 12 months, you need to have demonstrated flexibility. The ability to move quickly from one market or currency to another, or to switch between different parts of the capital structure, requires product strength and the kind of internal coordination that many banks preach but few practise. One that has consistently made a virtue of such flexibility is Bank of America Merrill Lynch, our pick for North America’s best bank for financing.

Citi wins the award for best bank for markets in Latin America. The US bank maintains a very wide presence in the region and is a strong competitor across the board. Led by regional head of markets and securities services, Jaime Roblesgil, the bank has been focusing on building up its controls in recent years, in alignment with its global practices. Coordination is vital. Citi has 530 personnel operating in 21 countries in the region (as well as in Miami and New York).

Kenya Commercial Bank wins this year’s award for best bank for corporate social responsibility in Africa for the work of the KCB Foundation and, in particular, two ground-breaking initiatives. Last year, it launched 2jiajiri (‘let’s employ ourselves’) – a youth enterprise development and employment initiative that works in partnership with more than 100 technical training institutions across Kenya. More than 12,000 students have taken part so far in the programme, which aims to turn young people into entrepreneurs by training them and connecting them to graduates in law, accounting and marketing to help them get their businesses off-the-ground.

Few people would have expected a firm following a bancassurance model with operations in the eastern bloc to be among Europe’s best-performing financial institutions. But that is what KBC has achieved.

For almost 50 years, Euromoney has been the leading publication for covering the growth of international finance. Over the past 12 months its coverage has included interviews with close to 100 bank CEOs, ministers of finance and central bank governors around the world.

The US firm has a broad franchise in financial institutions, but whatever the sector and no matter what the solution, advice is at the heart of its offering.

Goldman’s creativity and ability to commit capital have paid off this year.

The revival of a franchise is always a compelling story and nowhere has it been more evident than in Morgan Stanley’s markets business. For its dramatic turnaround in fixed income trading, coupled with its continued equities leadership, the bank is North America’s best bank for markets.