Banking
Godwin Emefiele, CEO, Zenith Bank
Zenith Bank has one of the lowest non-performing loan ratios in Nigeria, a capital adequacy ratio of 25 percent (15 percentage points higher than the level prescribed by the Nigerian Central Bank) and the sixth-largest market capitalisation in Africa. Godwin Emefiele describes Zenith’s remarkable growth story, from just a single branch to an international network of stable subsidiaries.
May 14, 2012
Banking
Hugo Aramburu, Managing Director of Wealth Management, Banca March
According to the European banking stress tests, Banca March has the highest solvency rating in Europe, at 22 percent. Hugo Aramburu discusses how the European Banking Authority’s analysis has been a powerful marketing tool for the bank, the hope of the Spanish financial industries as the country comes out of the recession, and the three pillars of support Banca March offers to family businesses and business managers.
May 7, 2012
Banking
Adel Al-Majed, Chairman and Managing Director, Boubyan Bank
Adel Al-Majed’s 13 years of experience at National Bank of Kuwait were invaluable when the group gained control of Boubyan Bank, setting a clear new strategy and identifying the best people to fulfill its new mission. The new MD talks about the importance of the thriving Islamic segment, the balance sheet surgery Boubyan needed in 2009, and his ambitious goal to become the third-largest bank in Kuwait in five years.
May 4, 2012
Banking
Dimosthenis Arhodidis, Head of Eurobank EFG Private Banking
Greece is rarely out of the news right now, with new debt negotiations and austerity measures announced every week – but the wheels of financial industry must keep turning. Dimosthenis Arhodidis discusses the three big challenges the Greek banking system faces because of the country’s sovereign debt crisis, and how Eurobank helped its private banking clients diversify their assets before the storm truly hit.
April 27, 2012
Banking
Charles Borg, CEO, Bank of Valletta
Malta is part of the EU, and as an international finance hub is closely connected to the continent’s economic difficulties; but it has emerged from the financial crisis relatively unscathed. Charles Borg explains how Malta’s conservative banking customs have supported the country’s resilience, and how the Bank of Valletta is working with local SMEs as a catalyst for internationalisation.
March 21, 2012
Banking
Elham Mahfouz, Acting CEO, Commercial Bank of Kuwait
Commercial Bank of Kuwait has been driving the implementation of banking technology since its birth in 1960 – it was the first to implement ATMs, and recently upgraded its technological core. Elham Mahfouz discusses how CBK’s business has evolved since the financial crisis, and its commitment to remain a local bank: supporting local businesses while facilitating international investment.
March 9, 2012
Banking
Seán Páircéir, Partner, and Sean Tuffy, Vice President, Brown Brothers Harriman
The financial industries are undergoing massive regulatory change as a reaction to the global economic crisis; but due to the interconnectedness of our systems today, the new rules will have much broader effects than regulators intend. Sean Tuffy and Seán Páircéir discuss three big issues – FATCA, AIFMD and the Volcker Rule – and their implications for BBH’s clients.
February 24, 2012
Banking
Rana Sunna, Deputy General Manager, Cairo Amman Bank
In the 1990s, Cairo Amman Bank was a small bank, with modest financial results and lwo growth prospects. Today it stands as mark of innovation: after successfully targeting the underserved retail sector, and reforming its HR and IT departments to develop the new skills and products the market needed. Rana Sunna explains how the changes brought new hope to the bank, and new life to its accounts.
February 6, 2012
Banking
Abdulkareem Abu Al-Nasr, CEO, National Commercial Bank
While Europe struggles with austerity, the Gulf region is recovering well. Three years ago Saudi Arabia implemented a stimulus plan to support the country, and today there are ample opportunities for growth. Abdulkareem Abu Al-Nasr explains how NCB was able to grow net income by almost 30 percent in 2011, and discusses the region’s challenges for 2012.
January 30, 2012
Banking
Dauren Zhaksybek, Chairman of the Management Board, Tsesnabank
Tsesnabank is one of Kazakhstan’s fastest-growing mid-size banks, thanks to a swiftly expanding high-quality client base: diverse, well-rated corporate customers that recovered well from the crisis. Dauren Zhaksybek explains how Kazakhstan’s banking sector has changed and how Tsesnabank’s evolution won’t stop it offering quality service to its SME and retail customers.
January 6, 2012