For the first time, the president of China was in attendance at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos this month. President Xi Jinping joined a roster of presidents, prime ministers, central bankers, executives and other officials from around the world at this prestigious event, which carried the theme this year of “responsive and responsible leadership.”
30 Jan 2017
Emerging market countries have suffered chronic outflows of wealth due to tax evasion, perhaps more than countries in the developed world. That might be why many EM governments have set their sights on the enormous amount of wealth currently outside their borders.
27 Jan 2017
Sustainable energy and infrastructure projects across South and Central America are attracting attention from investors, but the outlook is challenged due to a lack of awareness on the ground.
27 Jan 2017
Last year was difficult to say the least, more so than 2015, despite the slightly smaller contraction of GDP. The financial health of firms in the productive sector deteriorated further, with sharp increases in filings for court-supervised reorganization and nonperforming bank loans, both reaching record levels, while unemployment rose, especially affecting household heads. What’s in store for…
26 Jan 2017
Last week the world’s economic and political elites descended to the Swiss city of Davos for the annual World Economic Forum (WEF). This year's conference was unlike any other before – fitting given how unconventional 2016 really was – and left economic leaders with more questions than answers.
24 Jan 2017
Last year saw record levels of capital markets activity in the Middle East. Banks were no exception and joined the frenzy, and, with Basel III requirements slowly coming into force, issued ample Additional Tier 1 (AT1) instruments to boost their capital ratios. But bankers and investors are anticipating a plateau in both supply and demand – though largely for different reasons.
23 Jan 2017
Peru has over US$45bn in infrastructure projects currently tied up in administrative deadlock. But the government’s private investment promotion agency Proinversión, which oversees the approval process for the country’s public-private partnerships (PPP), is currently embarking on a complete overhaul to relieve the bottleneck and help stimulate further infrastructure development. Bonds & Loans…
19 Jan 2017
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) continues to drain excess of liquidity from the market, with smaller banks that depend on the regulator for capital likely to take a hit, analysts suspect.
18 Jan 2017
Lack of unity on the US government’s future policy towards Russia, coupled with similar divisions growing in the EU, complicate Russian risk and leave an air of uncertainty hanging over increasingly attractive Russian credit.
17 Jan 2017
As one of the worst-performing economies in the MENA region last year moves down the path of recovery, skyrocketing inflation is pounding the country’s impoverished population. Nevertheless, following the approval of an IMF loan tranche in November, subtle signs of an upturn are encouraging.
13 Jan 2017