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The global financial industry structure is expected remain confusing in the short term. Regulators and bankers are planning for a new structure of the industry after the recent global financial meltdown. Coverage of the proposals have been varied, from problems of capital allocation to bank structures and bonuses.

The emergence of global single currency and financial services as a result of the unpredictabilities in foreign exchange markets is analyzed.

The need for the companies that are listed in the stock market to have an international standard for the financial reporting is discussed. The financial reporting issues in various industry sectors such as telecom, financial services, etc. are presented to show the need for standardization.

The best providers of treasury and cash-management services, globally and in nine categories in the four regions of the world are selected by Global Finance. A list of best banks in different sectors in Asia, America, Europe and Latin America is provided.

Abstract: Prospects for Stock Exchanges Like other parts of the financial service sector, stock exchanges face various challenges arising from increasing globalisation and advances in information and communication technologies. These [...]

Since the early years of the ABS market, the Cayman Islands have provided a home for thousands of securitisations--a tranquil space in which deals can be structured, free from taxation [...]

Global integration of economies has made the readjustment of international supervisory institutions a necessity in removing systemic risks so governments and business should respond to this need. International financial institutions have reacted to increased globalization through adaptation and since a 'supernational supervisor' is neither practical not desirable, the private sector should work in concert with the supervisory community to create global standards.

Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa's presentation on global supervision has successfully highlighted the trends in the financial services industry but should be extended to address practical difficulties. Considerations in addressing obstacles include supervisory reform starting at the national level, establishing criteria for global players and emphasis on self discipline in the part of the players.

Global supervision in the financial services industry is a concept that would be better addressed by maintaining key operational principles. Principles that would address most of the globalization requirements of financial services include market friendliness, objective orientation and internationalized structure. Business should also consider the legal and market obstacles to addressing these goals in order to effective plan and implement globalized supervision.

An analysis of historical economic data supports the theory that the globalization of the banking and finance industry is not a new occurence, but a reimposition of conditions present prior to the occurence of World War I. Evidence supports this theory, with foreign investments approaching the ratio of foreign investments to GDP prior to the war. Much of the claims of the globalization of the banking and finance industry is made only on the basis of technological changes which means faster financial transactions across borders.

Housing finance is an important part of the financial services industry. The need for the service is critical in many developing countries and what happens in those places will affect the status of the industry in developed countries such as the US. Banking institutions and other financing entities should therefore exploit the chance to establish housing finance systems in those countries that need them., Believe It or Not, Your Institution's Future - Indeed, Maybe Even Your Own - Could Be Riding on What Happens to Housing Finance Players in Such Far-Flung Places as the [...]

The international financial services market has evolved from the traditional banking roles that it started out with. The securitization of bank assets and the institutionalization of savings, for instance, have changed many of the processes that make up the conventional banking process. Banks were originally meant to interpose themselves between savers and users of funds. The development of new technology and products as enabled banks to make it possible for savers and investors to deal directly in the financial markets instead of relying on intermediaries.

An analysis of the determinants of international financialservices is presented. It is shown that problems involving the gathering of data on such services is a result of the manner by which the US System of National Accounts (SNA) regards financial services. Empirical results of international trade demands for services indicate that disposable income, domestic and foreign prices determine their international flow.

Canada, the U. S. and Mexico began talks on a North American Free Trade Agreement NAFTA) in Toronto on June 12, 1991. This agreement is an ambitious undertaking covering major [...]

There have been changes in the types of services that major financial institutions offer their clients. Income from loan interests has decreased, making it necessary for banks to focus more on services such as letter of credit and note issuance. Involvement in exchange markets and agreements has also increased since the 1980s. Developments in international banking has led to a sharp increase in off-balance-sheet activities.

Globalization has had a profound impact on the way business is conducted. Money, goods and services today flow freely across national borders as business executives try to maximize efficiencies and [...]

The economic factors that might affect services provided by global financial custodians in managing pension and mutual funds are analyzed. Additional information on the global custodian industry is also included.

The IMF and the World Bank are spearheading moves to reshape the world's monetary system through the redesign of the architecture that supports the financial sectors of developing countries. Markets in the West, however, are increasingly hostile to certain aspects of the new architecture, such as the debt relief program for highly indebted poor countries and the IMF's decision to lend into arrears. Instead of supporting the initiatives of multilateral agencies, many finance experts have expressed apprehension that the balance of power in global markets could again tilt in favor of the official sector., The new financial architecture for the international monetary system needs to be built on secure foundations. Above ground, towering monoliths cast long shadows. Like a high-rise building to which extra [...]

An increasing number of financial services companies in the UK are setting up offshore operations to take advantage of gross roll up. Scottish corporations that have established operations abroad in such places as Ireland, the Isle of Man and Luxembourg include Scottish Amicable, Scottish Provident, Standard Life and Scottish Life International. Offshore financial services markets originally emerged as tax havens for expatriates and the wealthy. At present, the allure of these offshore locations is that they offer low corporation tax rates, lower labor costs and abundance of well-educated but cheap labor. Many financial services companies set up locations where their main target market is. The language of the region is also important in selecting an offshore location.

The German government stepped up the pressure for a global agreement on tighter financial regulation, a banking tax or levy and a financial transaction tax. Chancellor Angela Merkel called on [...]

American Express Co. has said it supports the idea of using mobile phones as payments devices in China. The Chinese payments company SmartPay released details Monday from a recent conference [...]

The paper investigates the diffusion of accounting and accountability practices across different countries and explores reasons for variation in the adoption of practices across countries and institutional fields. Results show that, while international financial organizations aid the diffusion of financial practices, local actors play a major role in the introduction and implementation of accounting.

It was the fictitious corporate raider Gordon Gekko, in the film Wall Street, we have to thank for those iconoclastic words which seem to have underpinned and inspired a generation [...]

Globalization and offshoring are two words that basically mean the same thing but have very different perceptions, depending on what part of the world you are in. Having worked in [...]

Worldwide, financial architecture is changing. The growth of new financial centres is universal (for example, Mumbai, Shanghai, Bahrain, Dubai) and many established centres are rapidly expanding the scope of their [...]

Last week the Treasury Department and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce hosted important events that explored how to ensure the U.S. capital markets remain the world's gold standard. This high [...]

Global spending on contactless card hardware, software, and services was $260 million last year and is expected to grow to $800 million by 2011, according to ABI Research. The New [...]

A Petrobras unit attracted Japanese investors to a sizeable, oversubscribed private offering that paves the way for Brazilian companies in a market dormant since 2001. In spite of strong cultural [...]

E-Trade Financial Corp. is close to offering banking products and services to foreign customers and plans to announce a move soon. Last week the $48.9 billion-asset New York company, best [...]

Nonbanking companies could soon become full members of the Swift financial messaging network, no longer reliant on financial institutions to sponsor them, an executive of the organization said this week. [...]

Citigroup Inc. wants to boost its stake in a Chinese bank, is rumored to be close to bidding on another, and recently bought bad loans in the country, but an [...]

Since the turn of the century, Eurocrats have been trying to fast-track the journey to an integrated Europe, in particular, pushing the financial markets into change to achieve their vision [...]

MasterCard International Inc. said it will delay the enactment of a planned fee for U.S. merchant-acquirers on cross-border transactions between a U.S. merchant and a foreign cardholder. A MasterCard spokeswoman [...]

GE Consumer Finance is entering several Central American countries by buying just under half of Panama's BAC International Bank Inc. The Stamford, Conn., unit of General Electric Co. said Thursday [...]

Details have emerged from a preliminary report in October on Citigroup Inc.'s private banking operations in Japan. On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal quoted from the report, by former Comptroller [...]

Questions about Citigroup Inc.'s corporate governance, particularly with respect to its international operations, were back in the spotlight last week after a pair of news items involving its private banking [...]

At a joint meeting here this week, the Shadow Financial Regulatory committees of Asia, Europe, Japan, Latin America, and the United States endorsed a reduction, and ultimately the elimination, of [...]

In their latest action against Citigroup Inc., Japanese regulators barred Citibank on Wednesday from participating in government bond auctions until the company completes compliance updates. The move came less than [...]

Some large investment management firms, including most run by banks, are refocusing on individual products instead of relationships to generate assets in a difficult stretch of the economic cycle. At [...]

Though we are allies on the battlefield, our partnership with the United Kingdom comes up short in our efforts to disrupt the worldwide networks financing terrorism. This is a result [...]

Decades ago western companies began to manufacture physical goods in offshore locations such as Taiwan. Despite the cost of transporting the goods, it was cheaper to make them there than [...]