As the BRIC countries – Brazil, Russia, India and China – realise the decade-old prediction that they would become economic superpowers, attention now turns to the global economies that will follow them.

Investors receive a stark warning on risks posed by Nigeria’s instability, though some commentators maintain Nigeria is still on the right economic path.

Its high growth and relative stability in such times of economic uncertainty has seen myriad countries trying to position themselves as Islamic finance hubs. Ireland is the latest country to do this, and the early signs – including a $2bn sukuk issued on its stock exchange by Goldman Sachs last year – are promising.

As the EU imposes an oil embargo on Iran and the screws tighten on neighbouring Syria, foreign companies doing business with the affected countries are scrambling to stay on the right side of the law while hedging against their losses. 

Mauritius' vice-prime minister tells fDi how he is concerned about the impact of the eurozone crisis on the country's exports and tourism sector, but is positive over the country's business environment, which, he says, is an ideal starting point for any investor looking to enter Africa.

Attijariwafa Bank is the largest financial institution in Morocco and the sixth largest in Africa. Its CEO, Mohamed El Kettani, tells Barbara Njauabout the bank's plans for expansion within Africa, particularly to the unbanked, and of the projects it has funded throughout the continent.

With the largest stock exchange in north Africa, a slew of new projects intended to attract foreign investors and a modernisation drive to improve existing institutions, Casablanca is well positioned to achieve its aim of becoming an international financial centre.