Central & Eastern Europe

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. 

Syria’s agony is imposing serious costs for neighbors in terms of refugees, lost trade and dampened investment.

Despite the summer’s turmoil, Turkey’s economy retains appeal for investors, and its currency is holding firm.

Turkey, a highly wireless nation, embraces mobile technology for financial transactions.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin seem to have mended fences. Will the alliance last?  

Regional Report: Central & Eastern Europe
Despite a host of challenges, Europe’s formerly communist countries are poised for strong, steady growth.

Europe | Foreign direct investment (FDI) into Europe hit a record high in 2015 with 5,083 new cross-border projects, an increase of 14% from 2014, creating approximately 218,000 new jobs

Turkey | It’s way too early to determine the long-term cost to Turkish democracy and society of July’s failed coup, and it is equally tricky to assess its immediate impact on Turkish investment and business.

POLAND | New political party’s moves to roll back market initiatives may damage Poland’s relatively strong economy.

Facing reputational risk and poor prospects, private banking operations are bailing on Russia and encouraging its wealthy to park their assets offshore. 

Turkey
Every emerging economy has a tipping point beyond which investor sentiment turns negative, despite fundamentals.
 

Casting off a checkered past, the region’s diverse economies are resurgent, with a focus on investment and reforms—and sustaining their crucial small and midsize enterprises.

Strong growth and other upbeat data in 2015 bucked the West’s collective vision of a nation in crisis. But without structural reforms, the picture may darken.

Not long ago, Romania was synonymous with sluggish growth, underperformance and corruption. Analysts acknowledged its huge potential but said it wasn’t being realized.

Few places on Turkey’s coasts have managed development quite as well as the former ancient Greek port city of Halicarnassus, today Bodrum.