Brazil’s development bank, BNDES, has gone from dividing the economy into broad sectors to holding a narrower focus on individual requests for financing. Bank president Maria Silvia Bastos talks to Silvia Pavoni about incentivising green projects and life beyond the Petrobras scandal.
A recovering Brazil and Argentina, the potential impact of Donald Trump's protectionist policies, the role of China and the fortunes of intra-regional trade blocs are the topics of discussion for the Latin America experts participating in The Banker's roundtable discussion. Edited by Silvia Pavoni.
The UK has one of the world’s most sophisticated banking markets, but when it comes to serving vulnerable and low-income people, it has yet to find the right formula. Silvia Pavoni looks at what it means to be financially excluded in the country, and whether banks are close to finding the solution.
The arrival of online robo-advisers – providers of automated, algorithm-based financial advice – is fuelling debate among wealth managers and regulators on their benefits and risks. Is robo-advice a great innovation to fill the advice gap, or an overly optimistic and unsustainable business model? Silvia Pavoni reports.
Brazil is still the leading country in Latin America when it comes to the might of the region's banking sectors, but further down the table the overall picture is obscured by the crisis in Venezuela. Silvia Pavoni reports.
The collapse of its key economic and political allies has prompted Cuba to re-engage with the international community. Moreover, the promise of an end to sanctions from long-time antagonist the US has given Western businesses the hope of valuable business deals – but can they see eye to eye? Silvia Pavoni reports.
London remains the world's leading international financial centre, though the vote for the UK to leave the EU has cast an element of doubt over its future. Hoping to take advantage of any uncertainty will be the likes of New York and Hong Kong, which finished a respective second and third in The Banker's ranking.
A mismatch of networks and uneven regulation makes Latin America a frustrating market for digital payments providers, drawn to its huge population and growing mobile penetration. But with great challenges come rich opportunities, writes Silvia Pavoni.