Central & Eastern Europe

REGIONAL FOCUS
​The countries of the Caucasus region (Azerbaijan, Armenia and Georgia) continue to march down very different economic paths, despite their proximity and sociocultural connections.

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS By Gordon Platt China and Russia have returned to the global equity capital markets, following a lengthy absence. China led in the number of capital raisings using depositary receipts last year, with 14 of the 51 transactions ...

STAR PERFORMERS By Anita Hawser Over the past six years transaction banking has been one of the best performers in an otherwise lackluster banking sector. Even in the midst of a global financial crisis, suppliers and salaries still need to ...

Faraways / Shutterstock.com Demonstrators have been out on the streets of Istanbul and Ankara yet again, keeping Turkey's riot police busy. The cause this time was the draconian curbs the government wants to impose on the Internet. These will enable ...

EMERGING MARKETS ROUNDUP   By Kim Iskyan   In December, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, one of Russia’s most high-profile political prisoners and the former CEO of Yukos Oil—at one point Russia’s largest oil company—was abruptly released.   He had served about 10 ...

SPECIAL REPORT   By Anita Hawser   To be or not to be? Compliant, that is. Apparently, the answer is it doesn’t matter—at least not yet. Just a few weeks before the February 1 SEPA deadline came to pass, the ...

Demo site: Protestors in Istanbul's Taksim Square last summer ( Photo: Fleshstorm ) Turkey, the onetime sick man of Europe, is ailing again. And the setback has come on with remarkable speed. Just a year ago, the governing Justice and ...

COUNTRY REPORT   By Justin Keay   As investors query what will happen in Russia’s economy over the near term, the long-term outlook is improving as the business environment is liberalized.   Russia will be at the center of world ...

NEWSMAKERS   By Justin Keay   There were few raised eyebrows when Poland’s premier Donald Tusk replaced his longtime Finance minister Jacek Rostowski with 38-year-old Mateusz Szczurek in a major cabinet reshuffle on November 20. Disagreements between Tusk and Rostowski ...

CORPORATE FINANCING NEWS   By Gordon Platt   Despite the euro’s surprisingly strong showing in 2013, analysts expect the dollar to advance against most major currencies this year. The euro won’t be allowed to continue to appreciate, or it will ...

FRONTIER MARKETS REPORT   By Dan Keeler   Ukraine’s decision to turn its back on Western Europe has seriously undermined its near-term appeal, but long-term opportunities remain.   Perhaps more than any other country in Europe, Ukraine is torn between ...

Yanukovych: Taking the soft option ( Roland Goodman ) The Ukraine in December secured a $15 billion bailout from Russia, along with a promise that the price for Russian gas imports will by slashed by about one-third. So, is this ...

Despite recurrent anti-government protests and corruption scandals, Slovenia, the tiny Adriatic republic of just over two million, ranks as the 24th-most-prosperous country in the world, according to the annual Legatum Institute Prosperity Index, which ranks 142 countries by criteria like entrepreneurship and opportunity and personal freedom as well as economy.

While Central Europe appears to be recovering from the effects of the global economic downturn, Southeastern Europe is in for a rougher ride.

Global energy markets are attending closely to recent natural gas discoveries in the eastern Mediterranean and their implications for the availability and pricing of energy resources.

The Turkish banking sector’s prospects are bright, driven by innovation and torrid credit expansion. Mergers and acquisitions remain vibrant, and the nation’s mobile technology provides a shining global example. But the financial tea leaves aren’t altogether reassuring.

There is a new definition of the emerging markets and their characteristics that confutes many old and accepted axioms; for example, the idea that the cost of labor is cheaper in developing countries, or that governance is more advanced and regulations are more enforced in developed countries.

Over the past year, Georgia has undergone a major political face-lift. Since the Georgian Dream coalition, led by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili, won parliamentary elections in October 2012, a cadre of relatively young and inexperienced politicians has risen to the government’s top posts.

Global Finance Names the Safest Emerging Markets Banks in Central & Eastern Europe 2013 New York, November 5, 2013 - Global Finance magazine (GFmag.com) has named the “Safest Emerging Markets Banks in Central & Eastern Europe” in an exclusive survey ...

A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION By Michael Shari Global Finance hosted a delegation of Turkish business and economic representatives for its Global Salon this month, engendering a lively discussion on growth and investment, the economy and Turkey’s efforts to qualify ...