Reform-minded Natalie Jaresko has had a tough baptism in her role as Ukraine's finance minister. However, she is determined to demonstrate the safety of the country's banking sector and show that Ukraine is still an attractive investment destination, as she tells Stefanie Linhardt.

In an economy that is highly dollarised and in which the local currency has gone through a bout of devaluation, Georgia's central bank governor, Giorgi Kadagidze, has his work cut out. However, in taking a long-term approach, rather than looking for any quick fixes, he is confident that the country can achieve its currency goals.

Commerzbank corporates and markets chief Michael Reuther has nearly 30 years of banking experience, yet his appetite for innovation still burns strongly, as his work to 'industrialise' the German lender's investment bank shows.

Stringent capital requirements set by the Central Bank of Armenia will test many of the country's banks, which are already struggling in a slowing economy. But for those that already meet the new standards, the opportunities arising from possible consolidation could provide a much-needed avenue to growth.

Private equity investment in central and eastern Europe could be set to increase as investors look to capture the region’s potential as its economies return to growth. 

Russia’s central bank governor, Elvira Nabiullina, talks to The Banker about what is being done to address the inflation and devaluation of the rouble and the tools she is using to fortify the country’s economy against external shocks. 

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.