Latest Posts

  • News 0

    Brunei Bank collects ‘firsts’

    Baiduri means ‘emerald,’ the green precious stone that has been much admired and loved by many throughout history. Associated with grandeur, faithfulness and friendship, the stone has had a history as far back as 3000 BC, when they were the established gemstones in India, Egypt and Rome. It is no wonder, therefore, that the founders of Baiduri Bank felt an affinity with the stone which symbolises the Bank’s mission to provide innovative and comprehensive financial products and services to the Brunei community. Established in 1994, Baiduri Bank is a member of the Baiduri Bank Group, one of the largest providers of financial products and ...
    On February 18, 2011 / By
  • News 0

    Poland’s bankers look to double-digit growth

    When global crises bring financial strife to the doors of once-renowned institutions, investors look for a sure place to protect their assets. PKO Bank Polski – the leader of the Polish banking market and a rising star of European finance – can be considered a safe haven for such investors’ money. For more than 90 years it has been the symbol of the Polish banking sector, and its widely recognised brand is valued by specialists at over $1bn. It has the highest asset value in the Polish banking sector, and constant initiatives to maintain good customer relationships and persistent upgrades to product quality help the bank maintain its le...
    On February 18, 2011 / By
  • News 0

    Pension fund leader in the Czech Republic

    Czechs and the Czech pension system are at a crossroads. The economic health of the national pension system has been on the decline in recent years and promises to worsen in years to come. Choices must be made and steps must be taken to divert serious threats looming in the future. The root of the problem is that the population is ageing and there will not be enough funds available in the foreseeable future, as a shrinking working population supports a growing number of pensioners. The problem is compounded by the unlikelihood of future pension levels keeping pace with increased cost of living. The outgrowth in economic terms is that pension ...
    On February 17, 2011 / By
  • News 0

    The global economy: What next?

    www.4xp.com 4XP foresees much on the financial front of 2011. The previous financial year really did witness a lot of ground-breaking events from the global economy. Oil prices rose from right under the eyes of traders, and currently threatens a global recession if they rise further past $100 a barrel. And what about the euro? The single currency seemed so promising and immune to the global economic crisis that we witnessed in recent years. This all came to a climax with the Greek and Irish debt crises in late 2010. The US Federal Reserve under Ben Bernanke has to top this all off with the extension of the QE2 policy. On one hand helping the ...
    On February 17, 2011 / By
  • News 0

    Malta’s comms sector continues surge

    As Malta’s leading provider of communications and entertainment services, GO offers fixed line telephony, mobile telephony, broadband internet services and digital television, in addition to business-related services like data networking solutions, business IP services, and managed and co-location facilities. Although the company’s major market is Malta – the smallest member state of the EU, with a population of 400,000 people – the company does business with international companies based in Malta and abroad. In fact, GO is also looking at entering into new markets overseas. GO powers more than 500,000 customer connections and service...
    On February 17, 2011 / By
  • News 0

    Online trading grows in MENA

    In the past 10 years, conventional financial institutions in the MENA region have moved heavily to create an online presence for themselves. The online trading ‘tornado’ started to affect the MENA region early 2004. Since that time it has amazingly remodelled the financial industry. International and regional online brokerages, which first came into the scene, attacked the MENA mass markets with the new ‘unbelievable’ phenomenon of online trading. AM Financials noticed the increase in popularity of online financial trading worldwide. The company realised the need to heavily invest in its products and employees to service the increasin...
    On February 17, 2011 / By
  • News 0

    CG drives healthcare sector

    The Diagnostic and Therapeutic Centre of Athens Hygeia S.A. was established in 1970 in Greece by physicians, most of whom were professors at the University of Athens. Since 1975 it has operated in the primary and secondary healthcare services. In January 2006, Marfin Investment Group (MIG) acquired the company, and it became MIG’s investment arm in the healthcare services sector. During the next 24 months the new administration pursued a spree of investment initiatives (acquisitions, mergers and incorporation of new companies’) transforming Hygeia into a multinational group with one vision: to create the largest private integrated healthc...
    On February 17, 2011 / By
  • News 0

    Leading the Polish recovery

    With leading market positions and a strong operating performance, TVN Group has outperformed its peer group. The Polish advertising market is on track to return to its peak 2008 levels this year. As a result, TVN Group is well positioned to benefit from the further development and digitisation of the Polish media market. TVN Group operates in three main business segments: television broadcasting, satellite pay TV and online. Advertising accounts for 60 percent of total revenue, but the company’s fastest growing segment is non-advertising subscription revenue – a key strategic focus. The group successfully managed its way through the globa...
    On February 17, 2011 / By
  • News 0

    UK inflation: Should the bank tighten?

    The Bank of England has had a torrid time of late, with inflation persistently overshooting its forecasts and a series of letters to the Treasury to explain why this has been the case. Independent analysis shows that nominal spending in the UK is rising and inflation has hit four percent. Cries can be heard from the City – particularly from investors concerned with the value of their bond portfolios – that the bank is losing its inflation-fighting credibility and prices are slipping out of control. Such fears are overdone. The bank has correctly pointed out that a string of one-off factors – VAT rises and commodity price shocks – have...
    On February 17, 2011 / By
  • News 0

    Asian exchanges could miss M&A wave on regulation

    Asia runs the risk of being left behind in the sudden wave of transatlantic stock exchange consolidation, given the tough regulatory regimes, cumbersome ownership structures and protectionist minded governments. The proposed tie-up between NYSE Euronext and Deutsche Boerse along with the London Stock Exchange’s move for Canada’s TMX Group has prompted talk the global exchange market is set to shrink to two or three big players. But a reluctance by many Asian nations to cede control to foreign ownership and the struggle to improve capital market integration means their exchanges are unlikely to have a seat at the table. “I just don’t t...
    On February 14, 2011 / By