Emerging Europe

Vladimir Verkhoshinskiy says Covid-19 crisis offers opportunities for leading Russian private-sector banks.

Dealing room challenges, loan forbearance and short board meetings: CEO John Hollows describes the impact of Covid-19 on the Czech Republic’s largest bank.

Coronavirus Covid-19 knows no borders, but the economic support packages being put in place sadly do.

‘Inadequate’ stimulus package could leave banks on the hook as Covid-19 pushes Poland towards recession.

Amid the coronavirus crisis, can emerging Europe's lenders persuade policymakers to call a truce?

Slovenian market leader eyes further regional expansion after the purchase of Serbia’s Komercijalna Banka.

Emerging Europe’s economies are vulnerable to trade disruption from Covid-19, but strong macro fundamentals and robust banks will limit the impact.

Political instability could delay the long-awaited revival of Romania’s stalled privatization programme, as hopes for early elections fade.

Turkey’s strong private-sector banks are its biggest asset – undermining their profitability for short-term political gain will prove counterproductive.

Stand-off in Slovenia highlights politicians’ failure to tackle retail lending boom.

Banks in emerging Europe are touting their fintech programmes and credentials, but is the enthusiasm reciprocated by the startup community?

In 2014, a $1 billion bank fraud nearly bankrupted the tiny state. It came through in better shape thanks to reformist policymakers, an IMF bailout and the sale of big banks. But a Russia-leaning administration now threatens to undo those reforms.

The need to raise funding in international markets comes at a bad time for a sector facing uncertainty over Swiss franc mortgage litigation and rising levies.

Sustainable financing is gaining ground in corporate Russia as firms look to improve their environmental, social and governance policies ‒ but can the country’s notorious polluters really go green?

Reformers in Kyiv and Dnipro come under fire as the battle for PrivatBank heats up.

A deluge of negative transatlantic headlines overshadows the achievements of Ukraine’s reformers.

The former consumer finance specialist focuses on collateralized lending and sustainable finance ahead of its planned IPO.

Russia’s leading private sector lender looks to mortgages to maintain pace of loan growth.

New plans to clean up Soviet-style banking sector will see underperforming legacy loans transferred to state fund.

VTB has long lagged state-owned rival Sberbank in terms of profitability, but with sanctions limiting access to capital the pressure is on to close the gap – chairman Andrey Kostin explains why digital transformation and aggressive retail growth hold the key to success for Russia’s second-largest lender.

The country’s risk scores have lagged its central European neighbours since the financial crisis. Is overspending in the mid 2000s entirely to blame, or should the Fidesz government take some responsibility?

Zagreb Stock Exchange pilots multi-level market structure with Estonia’s Funderbeam.

It is 11 years since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia, and even now, only about half of the UN recognizes it as a free-standing sovereign state. That lack of international validation – not least the absence of a credit rating – is holding back a strong economy.

Clubby governance structures in the EU are obstructing the fight against money laundering.

Danske Bank’s compliance head Philippe Vollot is on a hiring spree, but parts of its international network might still be too risky.

The gradual erosion of institutional credibility could prove more damaging to Turkey than economic and political shocks.

For 22 years, he has led banking in Austria and across CEE at the helm of Erste Bank. Even as he nears retirement, he is pushing to transform Erste into a ‘financial health company’. Euromoney’s Banker of the Year for 2019 talks about this vision and how digital transformation is at its heart.

A higher score, and tier, in the Euromoney Belt and Road Index shines the spotlight on Russia’s participation this quarter.

What do you give Russia's retired central banker?

Banking and capital markets in Asia, central and eastern Europe and Africa have been transformed over the last 50 years, but the change in Asia is particularly breath-taking.