Central & Eastern Europe

With popular elected leaders and strong growth in their economies, the sometimes-feisty CEE nations are standing tall—and keeping an eye on corruption and labor costs.

Slovakia's new prime minister Peter Pellegrini is struggling the escape the shadow of his predecessor who was forced to resign after the murder of a journalist investigating corrupt politicians.

New resource-extraction operations, Russia’s economic recovery and Asian investment are lifting prospects across the Caucasus.

As the Mediterranean island nation's economy has stabilized, so too have its banks.

Overall global FDI declined last year with developed economies seeing a decrease in flows even as developing economies saw an increase.

Vienna has positioned Austria well to benefit from CEE growth that seems ready to take off after years of stagnation.

Czech PM Babiš is an outspoken billionaire while the Polish PM, Morawiecki, is more of a technician, who negotiated Poland’s accession to EU before going on to chair Bank Zachodni WBK, part of the Santander Group.

Turkey’s geographic and economic position in the middle—between East and West, developing and developed—has made it a hub for multinationals.

They are expected to grow by an average 3.3% this year, 0.9% higher than May’s forecast and a big improvement over last year’s 1.9% growth.

Large multinationals are edged out of Europe’s top 50 by midsize banks that are based in developed economies and offer global service.

The country's economy has proven remarkably resilient after a series of crises rocked the country.

Turkey has become the world’s most generous nation, going from development assistance recipient to top donor in just over a decade.

Turkey’s banking authority BDDK said total banking assets had increased 7.3% since the end of 2016, reaching a total of $826 billion. 

Serbia finds success yet faces challenges as it works to take its place on the world economic stage.

Question and Answer with Johann Strobl chairman and CEO of Raiffeisen Bank International

After years of reform and a series of elections, the countries of Southeastern Europe are stable and starting to see a pickup in economic activity

Slovenia recognizes the importance of foreign direct investment (FDI) for its economy, according to the country’s Minister for Economic Development and Technology, and is working hard to draw interest from foreign investors. 

Rosneft CEO and Putin ally Igor Sechin played a key role in selling off a stake in the giant state-owned mining concern. 

The Bank to Bank Forum is a traditional fixture of the European chapter of the Bankers Association for Finance and Trade (BAFT). Nearly a century old, the association advocates free-market solutions for trade services. 

 Like other geographic regions once under communist rule, Croatia has traveled a chaotic road to statehood, but it is now solidifying its economic and political progress.