Finance
EU banking union at risk from uneven regulation
After years of painful adjustment, Western European banks now hope to enter a period of relative calm. Yet, their exposure to uneven regulation and financial instability in the Balkans and elsewhere threatens
Islamic finance expands into post-Soviet states
Experts have calculated that Islamic Banking will be a $2.1 trillion industry by the end of 2014. Governments across the former Soviet Union are increasingly turning toward Islamic Finance as
Scotland’s independence could hurt British pound
A referendum on Scotland’s independence, due to be held next week, could see Scotland leaving the union after 300 years of membership. Fiercely contested between the pro-independence campaign of Scotland’s
To understand risk management, look to heuristics
From the Bible to Bagehot, heuristics have been central to risk management culture. The 21st century science of risk management needs to work hand-in-hand with the age-old art of heuristics. Heuristics—
Latin America still low on ‘Ease of Doing Business’ scale
The ‘Ease of Doing Business’ ranking has improved for Latin American countries since 2005, but important regulatory areas such as tax law, contract enforcement, and commercial lending need to be overhauled
Islamic finance expands with British sukuk
The British government recently issued its first sukuk, a financial certificate compliant with Islamic law. As Islamic finance becomes more mainstream, other European governments could follow suit. This summer, the British
What low rates and high prices mean for investors
With few underpriced assets and interest rates at historical lows, do investors face a bubble or a stable– and unprecedented– leveling in markets? Spain, the jittering economy that recently prompted fears about
China expands Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank proposal
As border disputes heat up between China and its neighbors, the Chinese government kept up its push for a financial institution that would benefit the Asian countries at large. But will this whole
Argentina’s debt restructuring options limited
On June 16th, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of NML Capital Ltd (NML) over the Republic of Argentina in a major debt settlement case. The ruling has implications not
China’s mortgages pose risk to financial system
Zero-down payment mortgages in China suggest an increasingly risky Chinese financial system, with symptoms similar to those seen leading up to the U.S. credit crisis. Home buyers all over China, from Guangzhou and
