More evidence of a boomlet in risk-related IT spending; a risk-and-regulation think thank takes shape in London; a political-risk pitch from the New York Stock Exchange; the book on Buffett, Soros and Volcker; and more.

Banco Santander`s impressive profit performance is directly tied to its systematic approach to risk management. John Hennessy at the Spanish bank`s Abbey subsidiary in London walks us through the principles, the processes and the reporting lines.

Mistakes were certainly made, and risk professionals bear some responsibility for trends that contributed to the crisis, but now they can and should be part of the solution, writes Timothy Wilson of Caston Associates.

Historically shielded from many external market shocks, Islamic banks are increasingly integrated in the global exonomy and susceptible to its risks. Also: a Financial-risk primer focused on Islamic products.

High-performance computing can do for risk what it did for trading, enabling up-to-the-second assessments and decision-making. But is everybody ready?

Valabh Muralikrishnan and Hans Tuenter on steps a portfolio manager can take to construct optimal portfolios, and how portfolio optimization can be used to determine the efficient frontier in the credit default swaps market.

Among the most difficult risks to measure, liquidity risk and its components are getting new attention in the wake of the crisis. It must be managed through normal and extreme stress conditions alike, says Mario Onorato.

Financial institutions must combine rigorous qualitative analysis with quantitative strategies, writes Peruvemba Satish.

Why the put option approach is the best practice.

It is no longer acceptable for risk management to be simply reactive. Financial institutions must more transparently communicate their exposures and hold individual business units accountable, writes Philippe Carrel