Feature
Scuppered by sukuk
Dubai World was bailed out by Abu Dhabi in December, but the near default of sukuk issued by Dubai property company Nakheel could have much broader implications for the development of Islamic finance.
It will end in tiers
Regulators are intent on bolstering capital at financial institutions, with most citing common equity as the key component needed to absorb losses in financial downturns. What implications does this have for mutually owned institutions, and what can they…
Bargain basement in the Baltic states
Scandinavian banks are set to become huge owners of Baltic real estate. A large proportion of home loans in the region come from Nordic lenders and repossessions are rising. Some banks are already making preparations to take over and service large…
Hub hubbub
New rules coming into force in many jurisdictions in Asia are challenging the ability of global financial institutions to operate a hub-and-spoke business model for their derivatives businesses. By Jacqueline Low, Jing Gu and Keith Noyes
Cross-factor challenges
Banks realise the importance of measuring and managing risk on an enterprise-wide basis, but aggregating data across various business lines and obtaining consistent information remains difficult. How are banks responding to the challenge?
NAIC decision to stop using rating agencies for RMBS heralds major change for US insurance industry
Concern by the NAIC over the veracity of rating agencies’ analysis of insurers’ RMBS holdings is leading to a shake-up in how these organisations are used in the US. Is this pattern set to be followed in Europe?
Inflation hedging: How the Dutch pension sector is moving its focus from nominal to real liabilities
The Dutch pension sector has long-held a focus on nominal liabilities but both schemes and regulators are investigating whether a move to assessing real liabilities would be a step forward.
Understanding policyholder behaviour is crucial to the success of ALM and replicating portfolio strategies
Born of interest rate volatility, dynamic policyholder behaviour is a variable no insurer can afford to ignore – yet modelling it is problematic. How are companies adapting to the new market conditions?
