Leaders of the G20 nations yesterday declared that "the era of banking secrecy is over", calling for the immediate publication of a list of countries that fell short of the new standards.

The G20 agreed that the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development would publish a list with three categories. The most controversial is set to be a list designed to "name and shame" authorities that have not even committed themselves to the information-sharing agreements. It is thought to contain three names, drawn from countries that did not participate in the OECD's global forum on improving transparency.