Finance

Iceland’s financial meltdown

There was an early casualty of the economic downturn whose demise set in motion the cataclysm of the ensuing years. Perhaps more attention should have been paid to a country 1,000 miles away from mainland Europe competing with Wall Street and Canary Wharf

Late bill payments add to the squeeze

European companies write off a staggering €312bn for unpaid bills in 2010

A big fat Greek real estate sale

Would you do a property deal with Greece? For a country that hopes to escape bankruptcy by shifting billions of euros worth of prime real estate, Athens’ sales pitch is far from reassuring. Dina Kyriakidou investigates

Open to attack

With exchanges around the world processing trillions of euros-worth of stock every day, cyber security is coming under increasing scrutiny, writes Rachel Wolcott

Flirting with protectionism

An old French idea is blossoming again in the Paris springtime. France’s Socialists have just embraced a form of European trade protectionism in their manifesto, a shift from their previous endorsement of globalisation as a win-win proposition for French workers. The shift matters both because the Socialists and their Green allies have a good chance […]

Over the threshold

The Frankfurt Stock Exchange and NYSE Euronext are engaged to be married, and providing nobody declines at the alter, the move will create the world’s largest global exchange platform. So who is going to be the biggest player in a deal worth €6.2bn? Step forward Reto Francioni

Money does grow on trees

What is unique about timber as a commodity that makes it such a sound investment opportunity? Timberland investments have outperformed any other asset class regarding return and volatility over the past 60 years. They performed better than the S&P 500, real estate, bonds or gold and behaved better in any of the crises over this […]

Why tax planning fails

Dividends are paid out of post-tax profits and companies compete for the loyalty of shareholders on that basis. This simple fact alone means that tax is a boardroom issue

Ahead of the compliance curve

With the EU’s AIFM directive set to come into force soon, it may come as a surprise to some people that Bermuda is already in position to meet those standards. But for those who know us better, it is business as usual

Staale Aasestrand, Paul Thompson and Stefan Russell | Experto Credite | Video

European CEO interviews Staale Aasestrand, Paul Thompson and Stefan Russell, from Experto Credite, on debt management

The value of bricks and mortar

By the end of 2012, just under half of global corporates believe they will be required to expand or relocate their property portfolios to match demand on their organisations

An insufferable question: To bail or not to bail?

Benjamin Franklin said: “We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.” These words seem more profound now than ever before

The new economic reality dawns

The WEF’s ethos is that progress without social development is not sustainable, and that social development without economic progress is not achievable

Companies beware: The taxman cometh

MNCs face increasing pressure to ensure they pay the correct taxes, particularly when governments attempt to fill their coffers whilst businesses face other pressures

Dispensing of unfounded myths and stories

While some uninformed readers may still “tag” the Cayman Islands with the stigma of being a “haven for tax evaders”, or a “contributor to the global economic meltdown”, nothing could be further from reality

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