EM Polls and Awards

We spend plenty of time and space fêting and knocking the international investment banks in the region, but what about the domestic players? There is plenty to applaud among local houses that have grown – often into fully-fledged international operations – on the back of domestic business. We name the domestic institutions that stand out in 12 key Asia Pacific markets.

Our finance minister of the year is no longer the finance minister – and his decision to leave the post to help his party win an election is Korea's loss. Despite unfinishedbusiness, Jin Nyum's achievements helped Korea win a two-notch upgrade in a global recession. Among central bankers, Australia's Ian Macfarlane leads the field with practical, dynamic and intelligent policy.

HSBC and Citibank continue their annual sparring in this year's forex and derivatives poll, with HSBC stretching its lead in FX and Citi once more ahead in derivatives. By Olivia Chow and Robert Law.

No changes at the top of our travel poll this year – our respondents just can't find fault with the Ritz-Carlton Millenia in Singapore or Singapore Airlines. They are not so happy when it comes to in-room internet services in Asia's hotels, however. And if only they could stretch out completely on all long haul business flights... Olivia Chow and Robert Law report.

Most people were glad to see the back of 2001, but there were highlights amid the gloom. In issuance terms it was the reverse of 2000: plenty of impressive bond issuance but a dearth of new equity. Our deals of the year for 2001 were those that battled volatile market conditions and still produced successful, innovative transactions. By Chris Wright and Fiona Haddock.

Executive Access takes the number one spot once again in the Asiamoney headhunters poll, but in the individual stakes Eban's Stephen McAlinden steals this year's crown. Our respondents give their candid opinions on the best, and the worst, recruitment specialists in the business. By Matthew Montagu-Pollock.

Just as Singapore dominates our deals of the year, our issuer of the year category came down to a choice between two Singaporean and one Hong Kong company. SingTel takes the title from DBS and Hutch not for the range of its activity but for its transformation from a name suffering from its government connections, to the region's benchmark borrower. By Chris Wright.

Executive Access takes the number one spot once again in the Asiamoney headhunters poll, but in the individual stakes Eban's Stephen McAlinden steals this year's crown. Our respondents give their candid opinions on the best, and the worst, recruitment specialists in the business.

Investors have applauded the region's most stable companies in our 10th Best-Managed Companies poll. Where once telcos dominated, now we see raw materials, department stores and shopping mall operators at the top of the tree. By Olivia Chow and Robert Law.

When the subject of independent research comes up, there is a tendency to dismiss it as a conversational cul-de-sac: everyone knows there is a problem, so why discuss it further? But our brokers poll shows the true level of dissatisfaction in Asia is higher than we thought. Can anything be done to redress it? By Matthew Montagu-Pollock.

See article and results in attached PDF file.

Who?s best in yankees, samurais or kangaroos? Who should your first choice be for domestic and international equity offerings? And more importantly, how much do they cost? Your questions answered in our annual capital raising poll. By Olivia Chow and Robert Law.