President Alexander Lukashenko’s tight controls have ensured that Belarusians have not suffered in the slow transition to a market economy. But the same restrictions are curbing growth and foreign investment, as Ben Aris reports from Minsk.
Latest articles from Ben Aris
Sovereign bonds’ new lease of life
October 3, 2005Having lain dormant since the 1998 financial crisis, Russia’s domestic sovereign bond market is suddenly the focus of frenetic activity.Ben Aris reports.
Market rallies out of the blue
October 3, 2005As the Yukos affair fades into a one-off event, both domestic and foreign investors are showing renewed interest in Russian equities and IPOs.
Rising star of the CIS
October 3, 2005
Kazakhstan is one of the leading lights of the ex-Soviet Bloc, with such well-developed banking and pension sectors that they are searching for somewhere to invest their money.Ben Aris reports from Almaty.
The trees that cloak the buildings in central Almaty provide only limited protection from the hot midday sun, but Kazakhs window-shopping in the new Ramstore shopping mall at the top of the city’s slope beneath the Tien Shan mountains are keeping cool.
Drive for project finance
October 3, 2005Buoyant bond and stock markets, as well as legal complications, have discouraged project finance growth. But, as Ben Aris reports from Moscow, the sector is predicted to grow swiftly in the near future.
Credit bureaux law is flawed
July 4, 2005Rumours of mounting bad debt problems in retail banking have led Russia to pass a law allowing credit bureaux to set up – but their proliferation is getting out of hand. Ben Aris reports from Moscow.
Mixed fortunes
July 4, 2005Economic growth has been lifting the banking sector over the past year but the results have been varied. Ben Aris reports from Moscow.
Banks pile in to join Baltic boom
July 4, 2005Ben Aris reports on the banking sector surge in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, spurred on by EU accession and foreign interest in the market.
Persistent banks reap rewards
July 4, 2005Russia’s banks have been working to boost their reputation on the international capital markets. Ben Aris reports on how their bonds have surged in popularity.
Mortgage movement
July 4, 2005Mortgages could be the next big thing in Russia if the retail banks and the Kremlin have their way.