Belarus has been hit hard by falling oil prices, its heavy dependence on Russian exports and the devaluation of the rouble, which has led to a contraction of the economy. But banks are looking to SME financing – as well as a spell of de-dollarisation – to get the country back on a sound financial footing.

Belarus’s first deputy minister of the economy, Alexander Zaborovskiy, explains how a flexible exchange rate scheme and a more attractive investment environment can help the country survive knock-on effects of the economic difficulties facing neighbouring Russia and Ukraine.

After reporting the bank’s best half-year results, Intesa Sanpaolo’s chief executive Carlo Messina is upbeat about its future in Italy, thanks to booming wealth management and life insurance businesses, and growth opportunities in some of its central and eastern European subsidiaries.

Borsa Istanbul's recent mergers with a series of other exchanges in Turkey have expanded its remit and influence significantly. Its CEO, Tuncay Dinc, tells Stefanie Linhardt how he hopes the bourse will lead both Istanbul's ambitions to become a major financial centre and Turkey's efforts to become a top 10 global economy.

Turkey's plethora of micro-businesses and SMEs offer huge opportunities for the country's banks, a fact that the lenders have only recently woken up to. Stefanie Linhardt looks at which institutions are best making up for this lost time.

The fight to fund Turkey's large corporates is hotting up, as these businesses increasingly turn to capital markets, foreign banks or alternative lenders to fulfil their financial needs.

International financial institutions remain crucial in central and eastern Europe as the fallout from the financial crisis continues to make its presence felt. But just how far should these development banks go in helping to resolve the various crises that have hit the countries of this region in recent years? 

Serbia's economic struggles have been well documented over the past few years, with its fiscal deficit particularly worrying. The country's finance minister, Dušan Vujović, tells Stefanie Linhardt how the government's reforms are already advancing down a route he hopes will lead to full EU accession.

Italy's traditionally high savings rates and increasing demand for asset management are playing into the hands of domestic direct bank Fineco. Its CEO, Alessandro Foti, tells Stefanie Linhardt about his company's recent successes in the retail and private wealth management markets.