Servicing demanding SME clients pays off if you take the long-term view.

HSBC continues to lead from the front as trade finance reinvents itself.

The growing weight of non-European markets speaks volumes about the Spanish bank’s EM capabilities as other global banks have headed for the exit.

The US bank prides itself on already looking like the world we live in.

The past year posed extraordinary financing challenges for the world’s corporates. However, the political and economic conditions they faced also created an opportunity for creative banks to thrive.

The bank is prepared to make tough decisions to meet its sustainability targets.

Public-sector receptivity to innovation in sustainability and tokenization helped HSBC show the markets a glimpse of the future of bonds.

Citi’s securities services business has put in an excellent year both in terms of new business and digital innovation.

In the US, JPMorgan has 55 dedicated private banking offices, from Austin to Seattle, and Cincinnati to Fort Lauderdale. Elsewhere, it focuses heavily on serving high and ultra-high net-worth customers in Europe, where it has eight offices, including the UK and Germany, Asia, through Hong Kong and Singapore, and Latin America, with clients served out of Miami, New York and Switzerland.

Veteran Morgan Stanley investment bankers describe this as the busiest downturn they have ever seen. That is because they have worked on the biggest and most transformative deals in 12 months of shifting values and at times paralyzing uncertainty. The firm has made some cuts, but its new leaders are shaking the business up and bringing in the talent that will be in demand once markets settle.

The Spanish lender continues to demonstrate the business case for inclusivity.

The tokenization of real-world assets is spreading fast, requiring the leaders of traditional finance to respond.

BNP Paribas has a well-earned reputation for steadiness and stability. In the past year, its chief executive, Jean-Laurent Bonnafé, has also reinforced his strategic credentials with the bank’s well-timed exit from its US retail business. Today, the bank stands as the eurozone leader on the global stage and is ready to play a pivotal role in the continent’s financial development.

The Singapore bank has strengthened its proposition to serve under-represented communities and aligned its own lending operations to make an impact.

Christian Sewing has turned Deutsche Bank around. The firm has a resilience now that would have seemed unlikely when he was appointed chief executive five years ago. By his own admission, some of the toughest work is still to be done. But the past year and the most recent banking crisis have provided a striking validation of the strategy he set in place.

From small-scale asset financing to innovative technologies, the French bank understands what a credible transition plan looks like.

The US firm provides the right strategic advice for volatile markets.

The US firm stood out for its response to volatility and ability to think ahead.

Hamburg Commercial Bank is almost unrecognizable from its former incarnation as one of Germany’s most troubled state-owned banks. Now in private hands, it is proving that even legacy banks in the most sheltered parts of European finance can become dynamic and profitable institutions.

The bank has achieved growth by extending its traditional private banking services to the mass affluent segment in Brazil.

The French bank has been busy with landmark deals and financial innovation.

The French bank is not only effecting internal change but is also using itself as a catalyst for wider transition.

The businesses for which Goldman Sachs is most renowned dominated investment banking last year – but so much else is going on. The firm is enjoying the pay-off from a long effort to expand middle-market coverage and has successfully built a transaction banking platform from scratch that it can now scale up.

The US bank’s leadership on diversity is based on its commitment to transparency.

Banks must be able to demonstrate their ability to give the right advice in both good times and bad. Morgan Stanley shows how it is done.

The French bank has long had global scale in fixed income, now it has the same ambitions for its equity franchise too.

The global wealth expert has expanded its vision, horizon and profits this year

Not content with consolidating its position at the top of the SSA rankings, JPMorgan is increasingly working with public-sector clients in frontier markets.

From energy transition to Libor transition, the French bank is the go-to firm for many corporate clients in a time of flux. This is the result of longstanding relationships and new investment in core sectors of the franchise.

The bank is successfully exporting its SME expertise and advanced financial technology across Asia.