Bank Lviv is a medium sized bank in the beautiful city of Lviv in western Ukraine and unusually, it is owned by Icelander Margeir Petursson, who is also a former world chess champion. As a man who obviously understands strategy, Petursson has bet on the growth of the small and medium-sized enterpris
After nearly three decades many of the emerging markets have already more or less emerged. Russia, for example, is already classed as a high income market by the UNDP. The changes are being felt in the fund business too where there is a process of consolidation going on. The Stockholm based East
Once Ukraine’s biggest commercial bank, the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) nationalised Privatbank in December 2016 and poured money into a huge hole left in the balance sheet after the former owners drained it of cash. A new team was installed in the now state-owned owned bank that are tasked
Russia has rock solid fundamentals and some of the best macroeconomic numbers in the world as part of president Vladimir Putin’s efforts to build a financial fortress to insulate Russia from western sanctions. But at the same time real incomes have been stagnant for six years, the propensity
Ukraine is facing a very nasty crisis. Several courts have ruled that the formerly largest commercial bank in the country, Privatbank that was nationalised in December 2016, should be given back to its former owner, oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky. Valaria Gontareva was the governor of the National Bank
Russia has been building a financial fortress by paying down its debt and building up its currency reserves. The result is president Vladimir Putin has made Russia largely sanction proof, but it is not a model that produces growth. On the flip side the US is one of the most powerful countries in
After five years of crisis and no profits, Russia’s banking is back in profit and starting to grow again. But it's a lacklustre growth as companies are not borrowing and growth is well below potential. The uncertainty over sanctions, who will come after president Vladimir Putin and the increasi
After five years of crisis and no profits, Russia’s banking is back in profit and starting to grow again. But it's a lacklustre growth as companies are not borrowing and growth is well below potential. The uncertainty over sanctions, who will come after president Vladimir Putin and the increasi
Romania has been growing very fast in recent years and GDP per capita has doubled. But that growth is about to slow and while incomes have soared now the state is running a twin deficit. The country has fallen into a middle income trap and has reached the stage where it needs to break through its