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Just as international institutional investors bought into the Spanish recovery story this summer, Sabadell caught the moment with a €1.4 billion equity deal to shore up its balance sheet and provide for future loan growth. Two Latin American billionaire cornerstone investors ensured the deal’s success and drew other investors’ attention away from the Spanish banking sector’s problems and towards its prospects.

Argentine president Cristina Kirchner’s growing unpopularity and health problems suggest she will not seek a third term of office in 2015. This raises uncertainties about economic reform. Why are Argentina’s bankers so optimistic?

Global regulators are pumping out new rules to address potential systemic risk within the shadow banking system, with money-market funds and repo in the firing line. While governments and central banks continue to offer underhand guarantees to non-bank credit intermediation, however, the moral hazard associated with the shadow sector is unlikely to go away.

Since 2002, Ali Babacan has earned Turkey’s government the trust of markets. But what can the ruling party’s economy chief say to reassure investors now, after some government members’ attacks on the local financial sector? The answers are not all encouraging.

AS Watson under strategic review; IPO would be Asia’s biggest in three years

Emerging market lender's regional CEO targets Nigeria, Angola; Sets hopes on electronic channels

Investors might fear that official action will be taken aimed at supressing euro strength, but the region is likely to have to put up with a strong currency.

Swap agreement reflects growing trade; London has competitive advantage

Follows ratings upgrades; Net profits up 12% to KD14.3mln

Rwanda’s ranking has improved significantly between March and September 2013 in Euromoney’s Country Risk Survey, with the country climbing six places to reach 124th in the global table. Although still included in ECR Tier 5 – meaning investors should consider the country a high-risk investment destination – Rwanda’s scores in the survey categories for Monetary Policy/Currency Stability and Access to Capital Markets have both risen in the last six months, suggesting that economists believe the country is becoming more attractive to investors while enjoying greater macroeconomic stability than in previous years. Both scores appear to have been influenced by the successful launch of the country’s debut Eurobond in April.

Forward-thinking branding experts are already adjusting their plans for 2014 and beyond: Yahoo recently unveiled a new logo designed to symbolize its fresh start under CEO Marissa Mayer; and the Republic of Iran is reportedly considering a change to the slogan ‘Death to America’ that has been in place since the revolution in 1979.

Kenya has waited nearly seven years to get its debut Eurobond issue off the ground, so why not wait a few more weeks?