Eastern Europe / News
MOSCOW BLOG: Why would Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman want to sell Alfa Bank?
Commentators warn private banking is over in Russia if the “family silver” goes to a state bank.
Ukraine experts warn about negative financial consequences of martial law
Many Ukrainian financial experts stepped forward this week to warn about the negative impact of the martial law that was introduced in ten regions. Some experts says martial law could cut as much as 3% off Ukraine’s economic growth
Pew report finds that Russia, Putin international stature is growing
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to re-establish Russia as a consequential world power appear to have borne at least some fruit, a new Pew Research Center report finds.
Shares in Sberbank's Turkish unit Denizbank climb 19.93% d/d
Lender, lined up for a sale to Emirates NBD, closes in on second place for banks by market cap. Akbank has rough day after announcing rights issue.
Average Russian bribetaker is educated and diligent
Despite the popular image of being greedy and power-hungry, the average Russian bribe-taker is an active, energetic, and entrepreneurial person, a study by the Academy of the Prosecutor General’s Office claims.
Kremlin to buy Alfa Bank from oligarch Fridman
The Kremlin is lining up an audacious deal for one of its proxies to acquire Alfa Bank, Russia’s largest private lender by assets and a vital cornerstone of the nation’s financial scene since the early 1990s, bne IntelliNews can reveal.
UK court removes itself from the fight between oligarch Kolomoisky and Ukraine's financial authorities
The High Court in London published its ruling on the claims of state-owned Privatbank against its former owners, oligarchs Igor Kolomoisky and Gennadiy Bogolyubov, saying it has no jurisdiction to hear this case.
Central Bank of Russia cuts the number of bank supervisors almost in half
As the number of banks in Russia drops below 500 and the clean-up comes into the end game, the CBR has centralised its banking supervision and dismissed about 45% of its staff.
Ukrainian President Poroshenko promises average wages of over UAH10,000 in 1Q19
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told voters that he is confident that the average wage in Ukraine will grow to UAH10,000 ($350) in the first quarter of 2019, Ukrinform.com reports.
Ukrainian opposition leader Tymoshenko massively outspending her rivals in the 2019 presidential race
Former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko is spending over seven times as much on advertising as her main rival in the 2019 presidential race, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko.
Russia partially unblocks Sea of Azov ports, Ukraine takes its complaints to international bodies
Berdyansk and Mariupol ports are partially unblocked, Ukraine’s Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan said, as Kyiv plans to take its complaints about Russian aggression to the ECHR and ICJ.
Seven out of ten Ukrainians ready to vote in March 2019 presidential election
Poll carried out by sociological group Rating on behalf of the International Republican Institute reveals location and age are important in determining who will vote.
Russian venture capital investment up to $262mn in 1H18
The number of venture capital funded deals in Russia in the first half of this year was slightly down in terms of the number of deals, but slightly up in monetary terms, as the deals get bigger.
Russia’s ITI Funds raises $5mn to make alternative and crypto assets more accessible to investors
ITI Funds announced that it attracted $5mn from two major investment firms, Moscow-based Da Vinci Capital and Paris-based Mantra Investment Partners, and unnamed private investors
Sberbank, NSD and MTS complete full-cycle bond deal on blockchain
Russia’s leading banking institution, Sberbank, and MTS, a major mobile operator, completed successfully a full-cycle security deal using smart contracts – from bond issue to full execution of the issuer’s obligations to the investor
Russian online retailer Ozon needs $200mn to maintain e-commerce lead
Ozon, one of the leading Russian e-commerce companies, intends to raise several hundreds of million dollars in equity next year to support new investments in logistics and IT, East-West Digital News (EWDN) reports.
Nine out of ten Russians have bought at least one item online in the last decade
Consumer trust in online stores is growing as e-commerce comes of age, and the range of products Russians buy online has also expanded.
Russia set to put Ukraine sailors from Kerch Strait clash on trial
Russia is resisting international calls to release the three Ukrainian naval ships its border patrols fired on and seized in the strait near Russian-annexed Crimea, but it looks set to put them on trial to "prove" Ukraine provoked the clash.
Russian private pension funds consolidate around state groups
Ongoing consolidation of the non-state pension funds (NPFs) has reached its final stage with four largest NPF groups (assets over RUB500bn or $7.5bn)) already accounting for 77% of all pension fund assets, ahead of next state of reforms
Putin threatens to “continue the war” in Ukraine until government changed
Putin says Russia will “prove” the naval clash in the Sea of Azov was a “provocation” by Ukraine, as Bellingcat releases more details of the now infamous incident.