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We noted last week that Deutsche Bank could soon become the widest name in the Markit iTraxx Europe index if its credit deterioration continued. It came to pass perhaps sooner than many expected, with its senior five year spreads closing at 251bp on Monday, 6bp wider than Glencore.

Deutsche Bank is not simply too big to fail, it is too big to function. It's time to shrink.

What I would not give to be one of those guys who has a helicopter at his beck and call, a limousine and a personal assistant whose sole responsibility is to make life easy and organised.

Major corporates have been quick to spot the potential of the Formosa market, with names including Apple, Électricité de France and Anheuser-Busch InBev selling multi-billion dollar transactions. Ample liquidity and a savvy investor base means corporate issuance of Formosa bonds is only set to grow. Elliot Wilson reports.

Foreign banks would be remiss to ignore Taiwan’s Formosa market when it comes to bank capital fundraising after the country introduced regulations that allow lenders to sell dollar-denominated tier twos domestically. Yet even though a number of banks have been quick to take advantage, Taiwan will need to consider further relaxations if it wants to attract more names. Tanya Angerer reports.

There is plenty that links Asia with the Middle East across economics, culture and politics with countries in both regions keen to take advantage of the opportunities. But progress on capitalising on those connections has been slower than expected, writes Elliot Wilson.

There has never been a better time to be an FX banker in Asia as the region captures a bigger share of global activity driven by the rise of the renminbi and increased capital flows to and from the continent. Technology is also playing a bigger role but the best franchises from Asiamoney’s FX Poll 2016 combine that with top notch advisory, and geographical and product clout. Lorraine Cushnie reports.

The conglomerate ownership of the largest banks in the Philippines is coming under greater scrutiny as the regulator and even the International Monetary Fund express concern. Increased foreign ownership is one way to reduce the risk, but that strategy presents its own challenges. Peter McGill reports.

In the 26th annual FX Poll, Asiamoney invited senior management, senior treasury and financial executives from listed companies, SMEs, banks, fund management firms and other financial institutions to rate their top five FX providers in Asia-Pacific.

In just a few days, the renminbi will be officially included in the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights basket — a move widely seen as a validation of the currency’s internationalisation. But the actual impact of the development on fund flows is expected to be limited, market participants told GlobalRMB.

Taiwan life insurers are addicted to long dated callable private placements. But what was once a beneficial habit, is no longer offering juicy returns. As yields continue to slide, the Taiwanese MTN market is having to adapt to the changing environment, writes Jonathan Breen.

Renminbi bonds in Taiwan had a spectacular run for most of last year. But a new age of renminbi volatility combined with weaker regulatory momentum has put the market on hold in 2016. Nevertheless market participants agree that the renminbi promise remains an enticing one. Paolo Danese reports.