Standard Chartered: Standard Chartered

Animals take millennia to evolve from prey to predator. Not so Standard Chartered, the emerging markets bank. Peter Sands, chief executive, sounded very much the acquisitor in saying the group was “constantly on the lookout” for deals. The bank’s success in riding out the credit crisis heightens its credibility as an acquirer rather than the target it has previously appeared. Indeed, the bank had a bumper 2007, raising underlying profits by 27%, thanks to a double headstart. The first was its r...