News
Kosovo’s imminent decision to create army pushes relations with Belgrade to the brink
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg appeals for restraint after Serbian PM Ana Brnabic warns formation of Kosovan army could lead to a military intervention.
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.
Turkish markets: Big mortgage-backed securities move amid new ‘normal’ anomalies
Akbank’s issue abroad approved. Professor, meanwhile, notes paradoxical statistics in a new-era economic environment where “perceptions are controlled by the government”.
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.
Pashinian’s coalition heads for snap election landslide in Armenia
A non-violent revolution toppled the government in the spring but didn’t alter the make-up of parliament. The weekend vote looks odds-on to fix that.
Iran hit by rare suicide car bomber attack
Blame for terrorist bombing of Chabahar police HQ initially pinned on Sunni jihadi group Ansar al-Furqan.
Infrastructure freeze be damned! Turkey to build $16bn Canal Istanbul
With the Turks heading into a recession there had been some expectation the mega infrastructure ambition would be cancelled amid austerity. Not on your nelly.
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.
Hungarian government decree hinders antitrust inspection of giant right-wing media holding
Budapest declared the establishment of a media holding controlled by pro-government loyalists as an issue of national strategic importance, blocking any potential antitrust investigation into the largest media transaction in the country's history.
Telia sells bribes-tainted Uzbek telecoms holding
Nordic parent company was hit by heavy fines imposed by US and Dutch regulators after becoming embroiled in a corruption scandal involving late president Islam Karimov’s daughter.
Turkish private pension funds permitted to buy up to TRY3.3bn in asset-backed securities
Permission given to allocate up to 30% of state-contribution monies, but only to funds approved and graded by Capital Markets Board.
_Cropped_0.jpg)
Sofia to renegotiate controversial concession of Bansko ski resort
Bulgaria's chief prosecutor warned he will launch a criminal investigation unless the government takes action over the illegal expansion of the country's largest ski resort in Pirin national park.
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.
Hungary’s largest BSE-listed investment holding firm is born
Merger of Opus and Konzum to create the fifth largest company on the Budapest Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of around €1.2bn.
“Smoking saw”: Senators conclude Saudi crown prince ordered Khashoggi hit in Istanbul
Turkey and Iran may look to exploit chasm opening up between Trump and Congress over scandal.