The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in January is once again set to provide an exciting platform for thought leaders.
Cleaning up sovereign debt
The US and European governments have so far managed to maintain investor appetite for greatly increased issuance of public debt. But decisive action will be needed to avoid paying a high price in the near future.
Getting government out of the financial system
Banks which have received state aid are desperate to give it back because of the constraints under which it places them. Governments, too, want out of the banking system – but both camps face a host of potential pitfalls before this mutually desired exit strategy can be executed.
Peter Nolan – Comment
China has defied expectations by successfully establishing a number of state-owned, internationally competitive firms, but the country must increase its outward foreign direct investment if it is to establish a firmer footing in the global marketplace.
Lloyd Blankfein – Comment
Heavy-handed regulatory reform in response to the financial crisis runs the risk of damaging the economy further. A measured response that accepts a certain level of risk makes good fiscal sense and will be a more sensible outcome.
Christine Lagarde – Interview
The no-nonsense style of France’s finance minister has won her many admirers. She tells The Banker of how she intends to tackle the hardest task of her tenure, that of regulating France and Europe’s post-crisis banking landscape.
Kishore Mahbubani – Comment
Trust and confidence in the Anglo-Saxon model of regulation have evaporated so much as a result of the financial crisis that Asian policy-makers are now beginning to rethink key issues about regulation from first principles.
Watch on Davos 2010
Watch Geraldine Lambe and Brian Caplen discuss the topics that are likely to dominate the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos at the end of January.
Listen on Davos 2010
Listen to Brian Caplen, editor, talk to Alessandro Profumo, Ibrahim Dabdoub and Uday Kotak, in a series of discussions about the key issues facing the world’s leaders at Davos.
Click here to listen to the Ibrahim Dabdoub interview
Click here to listen to the Uday Kodak interview
Click here to listen to the Alessandro Profumo interview
Click here to listen to Brian Caplen’s summary of Davos
More on Davos 2010
Follow The Banker on Twitter for up to the minute coverage of Davos.
Emilio Botín – Q & A
The chairman of The Banker’s Bank of the Year, Banco Santander, describes why the global crisis has largely bypassed his bank, and how the company’s focus on customer service and efficiency will help its acquisitions across Europe, Latin America and the US to thrive.
Dr Walid Hejazi – Comment
Far from depriving other countries of tax revenue, offshore financial centres used by multinationals for foreign direct investment generate huge taxable sums for home economies via share dividends and capital gains.
Salaheddine Mezouar – Q & A
Morocco’s minister of economy and finance spoke to The Banker about fiscal reform, his plans to invest in the country’s infrastructure to further diversify its economy and his priorities for 2010.
Henrique Meirelles – Q & A
Brazil’s central bank governor reflects on how the country managed to keep the worst of the financial crisis at bay and what further pitfalls lie ahead on its road to full recovery.
Financial crisis a catalyst for new entrants to UK banking
As customer dissatisfaction with the UK’s existing high street banks intensifies, new entrants are sprouting – many of which are extensions of established retail brands, striving to create the winning formula using their innate consumer insight. Will these new operations pose a sustained threat to the existing ones?
Greg Fleming – Comment
While financial markets are improving across the globe, economic power is shifting as the BRIC countries grow in both size and influence.
Eugene Ludwig – Comment
Capital should simply be one of the barons of good risk management – not the king.
Ten innovations to save the world
The Banker looks at the top 10 emerging technologies that have the potential to transform the planet – from wireless electricity to anaerobic digesting.
Ajay Chhibber – Comment
Only when natural disasters are properly managed and prepared for can vulnerable countries escape the cycle of crisis and recovery that hinders their development.
Coming up
Brian Caplen, editor, will be providing an inside view with a series of multimedia interviews and features. To order a copy of the January issue, please contact suther.guruswamy@ft.com
