Features
Sberbank sets up trade-boosting website
As Russia tries to increase its non-commodity exports, state owned banking giant Sberbank is sponsoring the development of the new Best of Partners platform designed to bring businesses and service providers together.
Romanian developers get in the game
Ubisoft and other big international studios laid the foundations of Romania’s game development industry, and now a growing number of talented local developers are striking out on their own.
Residential real estate in Hungary set to grow
Investors believe that Hungary’s property market is a good investment and expect local residential property prices to continue rising for at least a decade.
Romania entrepreneur aims to put home-grown UAV defence technology industry on the map
Autonomous Flight Technologies (AFT) drone Hirrus is a home grown state of the art unmanned drone that the company is hoping to sell to Nato members and for commercial use
Is the Russian business of German engineering giant Siemens in danger?
The Kremlin and Siemens' former partner, leading Russian businessman Alexey Mordashov, seem to be getting ready cut into the German firm's near monopoly on heavy engineering in Russia.
Gloves off for Ukraine's health minister as long-awaited reforms begin
Ukrainian-American acting health minister Dr Ulana Suprun is leading a revolution in health care reforms that began on April 1st, but she has an uphill battle as she needs to tackle the corruption in the system first.
BRICKS & MORTAR: Russian foreign property investments grow for the first time in four years
Russians spent €1.1bn on international real estate in 2017, up by a quarter y/y, as the middle class hunts for a safe haven for for their life savings.
CONFERENCE CALL: Moody’s Central Europe summit highlights Czech economy's strengths
Mood in Prague was bullish but longer-term risk factors – from CEE labour shortages to Brexit to robotisation – spurred calls for prudence.
Russia's dividend season opens
Russia’s summer dividend season is approaching and for those investors brave enough to remain in Russian stocks, the best paying dividend stocks have also proven the most crisis-resistant in recent years.
Russia’s coal industry is blooming
Russian corporations involved in coal mining, and other related sectors, grew by a staggering 68% y/y in 2017
LONG READ: Putin’s overwhelming election victory in Abkhazia
On March 18, 2018, Russian President Vladimir Putin won re-election for his fourth non-consecutive term in office with 77% of the vote. In the disputed Soviet Riviera of Abkhazia we won 94% as the locals pine for their faded days of glory
CEE cities take on the challenge of climate change
Cities are critical to climate change mitigation efforts, and while CEE municipal authorities have to contend with region-wide challenges like demographic decline and a chronic lack of funding, they are no laggards in this area.
FPRI BEAR MARKETS BRIEF: Cool Hand Lukoil: Alekperov knows when to fold em’
What's in store for Lukoil, Russia's largest privately owned oil company in Putin's last term in office? CEO Vagit Alekperov suggested last week that he might step down. Does the boss of Rosneft have his eye on the company?
Global trade war to hammer Eastern EU members
The small, open economies in the eastern part of the European Union will suffer disproportionately if the global trade war currently brewing extends to Europe, analysts have warned.
BRICKS AND MORTAR: Romania risks losing its moment in the property investment sun
Lack of product has deterred some international firms from stepping into the Romanian real estate market, but locals say there are lucrative niches ripe for investment.
VOX: The cost of reform II – boosting Russian incomes in a time of austerity
Russian President Vladimir Putin made a lot of big spending promises in his state of the nation speech on March 4 but said almost nothing about how the Kremlin will pay for them. That means there are likely some nasty surprises in store for Russians.
Slovakia catching up with the EU economy faster than Czechia
Slovakia is closing the economic gap with the EU faster than Czechia, but still lags behind the Czech economy level in overall terms, says a new CSOB study marking the 25-year anniversary of the breakup of Czechoslovakia.
INTERVIEW: Phosagro thriving in the time of sanctions
Phosagro is Russia's biggest fertiliser company and has become a favourite of equity and bond investors. Andrei Guryev gave bne IntelliNews an exclusive interview where he talked about leading the business under a sanctions regime.
St Petersburg's start-up scene flourishes on high talent and low costs
Situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland, St Petersburg is home to a flourishing hi-tech sector based on the city's low costs and copious amounts of talent
VOX: The cost of reform and Putin’s spending promises - part 1
Russian President Vladimir Putin has made a lot of big spending promises but economists are sceptical that any of the targets Putin set in his state of the nation speech can be hit, BSC Global Markets chief economist Vladimir Tikhomirov tells bne.