The Trump administration's sabre rattling on trade has produced little in the way of concrete results. But this may be about to change, writes Brian Caplen.
If robots become the mainstay of manufacturing, the advantage of cheap labour disappears and with it the prospects for poor countries to get rich, writes Brian Caplen.
The customer service mantra is constantly chanted but would banks do better by being more honest about the trade-offs a business has to make? Brian Caplen looks into the situation.
Carlo Messina, CEO of Italy’s biggest bank, Intesa Sanpaolo, talks to Brian Caplen about moving beyond restructuring into a new era of prioritising growth.
The chief executive of Swift, Gottfried Leibbrandt, talks to Brian Caplen about changes to the correspondent banking model in the face of new technology, the role of fintechs, cybersecurity and the move towards instant payments.
The big loser in Germany’s surprise election result is much-needed eurozone reform. Investors must accept that the eurozone and some banks remain prone to crises, writes Brian Caplen.
Analysts are making great claims for open banking under PSD2, but does it have the wow factor? Brian Caplen looks into the matter.
Bank CEOs desperately need a map of the future but should be cautious of visions that are too neat and tidy, writes Brian Caplen.
Banks are on the front line in the war against climate change. Getting it wrong could destroy them.
Managing director Christine Lagarde says that within the next 10 years the IMF could be headquartered in Beijing rather than Washington. Maybe, writes Brian Caplen, there is a hidden message for the IMF sceptics in the Trump administration.
Banks are supposed to be sitting on masses of data which, if they could put it to work, would be gold dust. In fact they need more data to do a proper job, writes Brian Caplen.
For all the talk about channel integration, banks have little in the way of back-up when online banking goes awry. The trusty branch – maybe shared by competitor banks – needs to play its part, writes Brian Caplen.
In the Musk-Zuckerberg debate, artificial intelligence could either ruin or save the planet. In responding to the AI challenge, banks need to be aware of the risks, writes Brian Caplen.
HSBC was started in Hong Kong and Shanghai in 1865 and grew into a global enterprise. But with 74% of profits now coming from Asia it seems to have come full circle, writes Brian Caplen.
These days, Dutch giant ING sees itself less as a bank and more as a technology player. CEO Ralph Hamers talks to Brian Caplen about short-term losses versus long-term gains, and why its new role models are Amazon and Facebook.
Western households have binged on low-interest debt. Banks need to be ready for when it all goes south, writes Brian Caplen.
Credit scoring using alternative data has been lauded as a way to end financial exclusion. But tougher data protection rules could bring everything to a halt, writes Brian Caplen.
Banks in Africa have the highest returns on capital in the world, and the potential in other sectors is equally huge. But, writes Brian Caplen, China is so far ahead in the investment game on the continent that it may be difficult for rivals to catch up.
The Banker’s Top 1000 ranking shows how UK challenger banks are making better returns than the established players, writes Brian Caplen.
While Asia-Pacific, western Europe and North America continue to account for 90% of the Tier 1 capital in the Top 1000, Asia is continuing to eat into western Europe's share. Brian Caplen reports.