With the six-month drop in the global oil price stinging the Russian economy, it looked as if the country's government would introduce reforms to protect it against future shocks. But with prices on the brink of a recovery, this positive momentum towards change is in danger of being lost. 

Banks in Russia are feeling the force of Western sanctions, with funds from international capital markets slowing and deposits experience a lull, but some institutions are finding ways to maintain commercial relationships with foreign investors. 

Russia's banks endured a tough 2013, as shown by the results in The Banker's Top 100 ranking, with the picture only likely to get bleaker when the impact of a turbulent 2014 is known.

Political tensions continue to dog Russia's capital markets. Following a difficult few months, the shoots of a recovery seemed to be appearing until the US imposed another round of sanctions on the country and a deadly attack on a commercial airliner flying over a disputed region of Ukraine sparked fresh hostilities, jeopardising the market's fragile rebound.

The ongoing dispute over the sovereignty of the Ukrainian republic of Crimea, which is currently occupied by Russian forces, has wreaked havoc in its financial sector, with many banks pulling out of the region and depositors unable to access their funds.