After reporting the bank’s best half-year results, Intesa Sanpaolo’s chief executive Carlo Messina is upbeat about its future in Italy, thanks to booming wealth management and life insurance businesses, and growth opportunities in some of its central and eastern European subsidiaries.
Turkey’s once mighty economic growth is slowing, as the country feels the impact of a hung parliament, geopolitical tensions in the region and the low oil price, leaving many hoping that snap elections called for November will bring with them some much needed stability.
Venture capital for small businesses, long-term investors for infrastructure and new funding channels for banks will be the priorities for the next stage of the European Commission's capital markets union plans, says European commissioner Jonathan Hill.
Borsa Istanbul's recent mergers with a series of other exchanges in Turkey have expanded its remit and influence significantly. Its CEO, Tuncay Dinc, tells Stefanie Linhardt how he hopes the bourse will lead both Istanbul's ambitions to become a major financial centre and Turkey's efforts to become a top 10 global economy.
China's One Belt, One Road initiative – building a new Silk Road between western Europe and China's east coast as well as improving the Maritime Silk Road – will be a major game changer for international trade. Stefania Palma assesses its possible impact.
Italy's traditionally high savings rates and increasing demand for asset management are playing into the hands of domestic direct bank Fineco. Its CEO, Alessandro Foti, tells Stefanie Linhardt about his company's recent successes in the retail and private wealth management markets.
The turmoil in Greece is having an impact on financial markets throughout the eurozone, but this impact may be felt greater in its five neighbours where Greek banks have a particularly large presence: Albania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania and Serbia.