Banks are no longer just competing with each other, they are also at war with a growing number of retailers and innovative start-ups that employ social media tactics to offer sought-after services. The Banker brought together a panel of banking experts to discuss the issues. This round table was sponsored by Cisco, but independently written and edited.
Central & eastern Europe
Latest articles from Central & eastern Europe
Moscow Exchange steps up equity prospects
February 1, 2013The merger of two stock exchanges and work to bring operations into line with international standards gives Moscow the potential to claw back Russian equity offerings from other markets.
Boom time for Russia’s consumer lenders
January 14, 2013Banks specialising in consumer lending are earning impressive returns in Russia, but state and foreign-owned players still dominate the banking sector as a whole.
Rebuilding the Greek banking scene
January 3, 2013A series of mergers will change the shape of the Greek banking sector, with three dominant players pulling away from the pack.
Slovenia gives hope to eurozone periphery
January 2, 2013Frozen out of the Eurobond market due to fears over its banking sector and budget deficit, Slovenia managed to find a highly receptive audience on the other side of the Atlantic.
The euro: a path worth taking?
January 2, 2013The eurozone's troubles of the past few years have meant that the headlines have been dominated by those countries deemed likely to leave the currency union. However, there are EU members that still wish to sign up to euro membership. The question is, why?
How Poland defied the EU's blues
January 2, 2013As the only EU member country to record positive growth at the height of the global financial crisis, and one of the few to suffer no casualties in its banking sector, Poland serves as a good example of how stable monetary policy combined with sound financial sector supervision can make for a robust and crisis-proof economy.
Terrible timing thwarts Romania's path to economic development
December 3, 2012Romania's entrance into the EU was met not with the domestic economic development many had predicted, but with a global recession, which sent the country's economy into decline and severely narrowed its banking sector's avenues of growth. Now, the country must overcome a series of challenges if it is to achieve the economic maturity it had envisaged.
Emerging market banks stake claims in commodities
December 3, 2012With balance sheet clean-ups continuing in Europe and the US, banks in emerging markets have grabbed the opportunity to forge stronger relationships with local commodity producers.
Governor vows to maintain flexibility of Romania's central bank
December 3, 2012Mugur Isarescu, the governor of the National Bank of Romania, discusses Romania's tumultuous economic past, the health of its financial sector and pathways to future growth.