Sector - Corporate Treasury

Emerging Europe braced for slow recovery

World Bank warns that region faces tough times in coming years.

Pull it together

Centralising cash management systems can save global companies time and money. But doing it isn’t easy. Liz Salecka reports.

BNYM expands treasury services in EMEA

The Bank of New York Mellon (BNYM) has further strengthened its treasury services operations across Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA), with new appointments in Brussels, Frankfurt, Cairo and London.

Dealing with the headache of post-acquisition IT integration

The proliferation of legacy systems at CEE banks has proved a major challenge for many western banks that have made acquisitions in the region. But there are a number of different strategies that they can pursue to ensure IT savings, the exploitation of synergies, and a more efficient IT infrastructure, writes Liz Salecka.

Western banks acquiring banks in CEE have often  found  IT integration difficult for a number of reasons  – not least because, as in most acquisitions, the immediate focus is put on commercial and operational issues, which fail to consider IT or systems integration challenges.
 

State takes the lead in Kazakh banking sector

Kazakhstan’s beleaguered banking sector is getting back on its feet, thanks to increased activity by state banks, and growing levels of FDI, report Shayla Walmsley and Julian Evans.

“It’s been a fascinating ride – to see Kazakh banks go from CIS darling to whipping boy,” says Ian McCall, a director at Argo Capital Management.
For several years, the Kazakh banking sector enjoyed a reputation as the best banking sector in the former Soviet Union. It was mainly privately-owned, well-regulated and relatively transparent.
The top Kazakh banks took advantage of their great reputation to borrow abroad. And how they borrowed. At the end of Q1 2008, overseas debt represented 45% of the sector’s liabilities. In 2006 alone, Kazakh banks borrowed US$18bn on the external debt market.