Through the frequent power cuts that cripple Gaza, a few lights shine still. Flickering in the darkness, the signs of local bank branches serve as proof that the industry remains open for business despite the turbulence that engulfs it.

"The Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) enforced a measure which meant that all bank branches in the Gaza Strip had a back-up generator with enough fuel to last a week," Jihad Alwazir, the governor of the PMA, says. "When the measure was introduced, the banks