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Emerging markets are already looking forward to 2019, glad to see 2018 nearly behind them. It turned out not to be a good year for emerging markets as a whole, after being on top of the world in 2017. Factors beyond their control—such as the monetary-tightening regime in the United States and high-flying dollar, trade wars and market corrections in developed economies—are largely to blame, but recognizing this will not erase the pain.

Open banking is an emerging global trend and is expected to drive increased choice for how individuals and businesses consume financial services, is driving significant change as the financial services industry adjusts to a digitally-enabled economy, and is working to appropriately manage the risk of a new digital ecosystem.

Malta, strategically located as a crossroads island nation in the Mediterranean Sea, boasts of having one of the eurozone’s most innovation-driven economies and highest annual GDP growth rates. In our interview, Michael Collis, CEO and MD of BNF Bank plc, describes how this multi-faceted, customer-centric Malta bank is realizing its “re-energised vision of increasing market share, taking the bank across new frontiers, with a desire to build a new future”.

The stewardship responsibility of today’s bank has become more complicated in the light of climate change. Not only does a bank need to be cognizant of its responsibility to safeguard customer finances but also the future of the planet on which we all live. Green finance is an ever more significant influence on the decisions made by bankers determined to reconnect with the needs of society in more ways than just financial.

Successful banks know who the boss is: the customer. And today’s customers, especially those who fall into the Millennial category, demand fast, error-free service delivered seamlessly. Banks confronted by the formidable challenge of adapting to both regulation and technology are also finding that up-and-coming fintechs are adept at meeting the demands of bank clients. Banks, more than they ever have before, must listen closely to their customers.

Money laundering and terrorism financing are serious issues that banks must address, especially as too many financial institutions are complicit in enabling the flow of unlawful funds. Unfortunately, the need to act decisively has also resulted in a disabling tightening of trade finance, sorely needed for economic growth. The new Asian Development Bank Scorecard seeks to ameliorate the inadvertent consequences of AML and CFT compliance.

The digitalization of banking has challenged individual banks to unleash their creativity in meeting the needs and wants of their customers, who are growing increasingly tech-savvy. National Bank of Greece, the country’s oldest traditional bank, has taken a no-holds-barred approach to innovation in pursuit of growth. From its i-bank Pay to i-bank genius, NBG is a living example of just how far a motivated bank can go in its digital transformation.

KBC Group, one of Belgium’s top bank-insurers, is guided by its purpose to “help all our stakeholders realise their dreams and protect them”. With core markets across Europe, KBC is imbued by a corporate culture that it has dubbed with the acronym PEARL. Mr. Thijs and Mr. Luts describe how the bank-insurance group is employing its latest digital strategies to actualize its long-standing vision.

Little is more valuable to financial-market participants than accurate predictions of future growth. With interest rates on the rise in the US, investors are anxiously looking for indications of an impending recession. But what are yield curves really telling us about future growth prospects—in the United States and also in Australia? Is dreaded recession in the cards, or is modest slowdown more likely?

Sweden’s Handelsbanken is renowned as one of Europe’s leading and most cost-effective banks. The secret to this well-established bank’s prominence lies in its commitment to maximize customer satisfaction. Through its expanding branch network across Northern Europe, Handelsbanken continues to display the wisdom of its decentralized, local-relationship business model. Our interview with Anders Bouvin, president and group CEO, presents an opportunity to learn more about what’s behind the success of this top Nordic bank.