It used to be said that you could measure a city’s economic wellbeing in direct proportion to the number of tower cranes visible along its skyline. But now, with so many building projects shelved or in limbo awaiting remission from the downturn, the exact opposite is often true, with those erstwhile symbols of prosperity standing…
The largest state in East Africa has for decades been best known for its touristic attractions – most notably the ever snow capped Mount Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. Mining is giving the country a new layer of international prominence. In little more than a decade, Tanzania has emerged from being…
Standard Chartered does not see the world in quite the same way as other banks. In March this year, the bank appointed V Shankar as chief executive of the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and Europe and moved him to Dubai. Read the job title again, and it almost looks like a deliberate snub to…
The credit crisis waves of 2008 triggered a panic across the globe and to all types of sectors, irrelevant of their operating nature. The storm specially haunted the financial services sector, where the Kuwaiti banking sector was no exception to its regional and international counterparts. Crunching derivative loss at one of the prominent local bank,…
Kenya Airways regained profitability in the year 2009/10 despite the difficult economic climate. During the year ending 31 March 2010, KQ made an operating profit of $24m. This was a remarkable achievement given the economic downturn experienced during most of the financial year. The capacity deployed increased by 6.7 percent largely driven by new destinations…
Mexican history has been dynamic and rich. It comes from the ancient great Olmeca, Mayan and Aztec cultures in the prehistoric stage, through 300 years thereafter of colonialism under the Spanish Crown domination; 11 years independence war; two empires – Iturbide and Maximiliano; foreign intervention and invasion wars by the US, England and France; the…
The Ontario region should be on the UK’s overseas investor shortlist. It has a highly skilled workforce, its banking system is the envy of the world, it will shortly have one of the lowest rates of corporate tax and it has a first-class infrastructure system. Clare Barnett, UK Ontario government senior economic officer, says Ontario’s…
Trying to find a success story in the financial industry from the past few years can be nearly as difficult as trying to untangle the global economic mess. With so many firms lying in ruin, it is a surprise to come across one that has managed not only to grow in its home country, let…
Foreign companies have increased their interest in the Brazilian market and domestic companies have finally found room to expand their activities overseas and become multinationals. Machado Associados started its activities in 1990, initially as a tax boutique. Its tax expertise came from the wide experience of its founders who had previously worked as partners in…
Besides its long-standing political and juridical stability, the richness of its natural resources and the high social and educational level of its inhabitants, a sustained process of economic growth experienced in recent years has turned Uruguay into the “jewel of the region”. The Oriental Republic of Uruguay, a small country located in the south east…
