While the Western world has been struggling through the global financial crisis, Latin America has shown a remarkable resilience to the upheaval. Two countries in particular - Colombia and Peru - are showing particularly impressive growth, and look set to become important emerging economies. Writer Jason Mitchell

BANKER RANKINGS
China's banks hit new heights: Top 50 Chinese Banks
Supported by a series of government measures, China's banks recorded a surge in growth in 2008 despite the global credit crisis. Writer Charles Piggott

LEGAL & REGULATORY
Where next for the derivatives market?
The fall-out from the Lehman Brothers collapse exposed the true extent of risk in the over-the-counter derivatives market and highlighted the need for change. While there is still no clear path for the market's future, it is not too difficult to anticipate what the Obama administration has in store for the sector. Writer Janet Lewis

MANAGEMENT & STRATEGY
Risk management: Creating value
Risk management, the lifeblood of financial services, is undergoing an identity crisis as many experts call into question the validity of traditional risk management methods. In this Masterclass, Keith Saxton, global director for financial markets at IBM, and Francis Lacan, global risk and compliance solution manager for the financial services sector at IBM, discuss how technology can help improve the measuring and monitoring of systemic risk and why internal risk management functions should be regarded as a profit centre. Writer Michelle Price

ISLAMIC FINANCE
Balancing innovation and tradition
The regulatory authorities of Islamic finance have been working to bring greater clarity to the relatively young sukuk asset class, but the market will need time to digest the implications. Writer Philip Alexander

Clearing up
The AIG and Lehman debacles have convinced regulators globally that a central clearing counterparty is critical for the future of the credit default swaps market. But many market participants feel that the idea is flawed. Writer Michelle Price.

The impact of the financial crisis has been felt particularly hard in the wealth management industry, where client trust is low, the appetite for risk has disappeared, and customers are expecting frequent and time-consuming reassurances from their wealth managers. Writer Silvia Pavoni