Bankers and speculators build castles in the air but when they come crashing down ordinary people have to pick up the tab. How we've made such a mess of our money system is explained, from the earliest banks right through to "collateralized debt obligations." The author suggests the framework for a fairer financial world: the practical ideas, required regulations, and real-life examples.Peter Stalker is a former co-editor of the New Internationalist who no...

There are several benefits of offshore online banking. Learn the pros and cons of offshore internet banking from first-hand experience, as well as critical mistakes to avoid. This book discusses what offshore banking is, why consider it in the first place, who it is for, its advantages and disadvantages as well as some important things to know and keep in mind before getting involved with offshore banking, as well as the legal and regulatory implications attached to it. This book also disc...

Following the 15-year civil war that started in 1975, Lebanon's government began the difficult task of economic stabilization and confidence building, on the one hand, and postwar reconstruction and development, on the other. The government led the reconstruction effort by formulating programs that aimed to rapidly rehabilitate the country's severly damaged infrastructure in preparation for private-sector-led growth over the medium term. At the same time, Lebanon introduced an exchange-rat...

Export credit agencies play an important role in international trade and investment flows. Exports insured or financed by the approximately 50 export credit agencies that are members of the Berne Union account for about 10 percent of their countries' exports, which, in turn, represent about 78 percent of world exports. The IMF estimates that in 1997 debts to Berne Union members accounted for more than 21 percent of the total indebtedness of developing countries and economies in transition. Ed...

Welcome to the Internationalist Business Guides series: The key to a successful business is knowing the market. MAKING MONEY IN TRADING: TRADE FINANCE GUIDE offers business owners, investors, and entrepreneurs all the need-to-know information to succeed in the field. Written as an in-depth, straightforward reference guide, this book lists key information about financing trades. Readers will find information about the various methods, their pros and cons, and managing ris...

The 2013 introduction of nine new real estate laws promises to revolutionize the traditional real estate market in Saudi Arabia. Yet while Saudi Arabia seeks foreign investment to promote the real estate sector, most of these laws have not been translated. Nor is it easy to get answers to simple questions like, “how do you transfer a piece of property?” The book contains a historical overview, an analysis of Saudi Arabia's new mortgage ecosystem,  a summary of existing real es...

Two years into the deepest global financial crisis in the post-war era the world economy is still experiencing uneven economic recovery and financial weakness. Financial market conditions are signaling improved investor confidence and more appetite for cross-border investments. As part of its mandate to encourage investment to developing countries the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA) seeks to foster more understanding of the role of political risk and instruments to mitigate it...

The Euro is in crisis and the United States is burdened with a national debt which is spiralling out of control. All of this places the major paper (fiat) currencies of the world at significant risk. Indeed, the role of the US dollar as a "reserve currency" is under threat. As a consequence, many central banks around the world have been quietly increasing their gold holdings as a hedge against the possible demise of the US dollar. This book shows readers different ways to invest ...

This paper analyzes the impact of the global financial crisis on the banking systems in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, and their responses to it, using information from banking system balance sheets. The paper undertakes two distinct analyses. In the first analysis, the focus is on the trend in intersectoral balances and positions in the long run, using annual data for 2001–08. The second analysis uses monthly data for December 2007–May 2009 to determine how intersectoral balance sheets adju...

This African Department Paper examines the rise in international sovereign bonds issued by African frontier economies and recommends policies for potential first-time issuers.