The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan is one of the country's success stories, and ranks 28th largest among the world's sovereign wealth funds, having diversified into equities, gold and property. Peter McGill reports.
Central & eastern Europe
Latest articles from Central & eastern Europe
Azerbaijan thinks again on make-up of economy
September 2, 2019In the past few years, Azerbaijan has endeavoured to reconstruct its tattered economy, with sectoral diversity being one area explored.
Georgian banks gather rewards for resilience
July 2, 2019Georgia’s banking sector is resilient, it is benefiting from – and contributing to – a strong economy. But there are some vulnerabilities that need to be addressed.
Deals of the Year 2019 - Europe
May 1, 2019The Banker reviews Europe's best deals of the past year.
Estonia builds its fintech muscle
April 1, 2019Estonia has the plan, resources and attitude to become the leading fintech hub in the Baltic region. But can it deliver on its dream?
Sberbank expands its ecosystem beyond banking
April 1, 2019Sberbank is striving to become the 'ecosystem of first choice' in Russia, and is branching out into numerous fields while embracing fintech start-ups.
Can EU ambitions power a harmonious future for Bosnia-Herzegovina?
April 1, 2019Bosnia-Herzegovina applied to join the EU in 2016 but slow progress threatens to thwart its hopes.
The Banker's Top 100 Central and Eastern Europe EU ranking: Poland maintains dominance
April 1, 2019It has been a good year for banks operating in EU member countries of central and eastern Europe, with balance sheets being strengthened across the board.
S&P: ratings outlook for European banks positive, but narrowing
March 7, 2019Over the past two years, there has been only one ratings downgrade for one of Europe’s top 50 banks, according to S&P. The agency foresees stable balance sheets and good results from banks in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. But slowing growth in the big economies and low profitability means S&P foresees more negative ratings actions in 2019 than the year before. Kat Van Hoof reports.
How has Belarus become a beacon of stability?
February 1, 2019Belarus’s economy is in good shape, but concerns linger over the high level of non-performing loans and the dominant role of the state in the banking sector. Michael Imeson reports.