The Turkish banking sector is riding a wave of expansion thanks to the country's growing population, but regulation curbing consumer lending is hitting revenues hard, leaving banks looking for new avenues of growth.
Turkey's finance minister pushes on with reform agenda
October 1, 2014Turkey’s finance minister talks about the challenges facing the country's newly formed government after its first presidential elections, and the challenges posed by Turkey’s high current account deficit and inflation.
Turkey scales up its capital market ambition
October 1, 2014Thanks to forward-thinking regulation, the Turkish capital market is one of the most innovative in the world but, in terms of volume, it is still relatively undeveloped. Can a government initiative to make Istanbul a leading international finance centre marry this world-class innovation with volumes that will see it compete with the likes of London and Dubai?
Bulgaria's outgoing finance minister rallies for reform
September 1, 2014Petar Chobanov spent little more than a year as Bulgaria's finance minister before the government resigned and he had to step down from his post. He describes the reforms that he started during his tenure and explains why it is important for the new government to continue this work.
Top 250 EU banks ranking, 2014: A tale of two halves
September 1, 2014This year's EU banks ranking shows how selective the region's economic recovery has been, with Greek and Spanish lenders edging into the black, while Italian, Irish, Portuguese, Slovenian and Cypriot institutions are continuing to struggle.
Crisis leaves Bulgaria's banks in limbo
September 1, 2014Bulgaria’s recent banking crisis and the resignation of its government have left its financial sector in a state of limbo awaiting elections in October.
Streamlining Bank of Georgia
August 1, 2014Bank of Georgia may be sitting comfortably as the largest bank in the eastern European country, but it is not resting on its laurels, with plans to divest some of its acquisitions to focus on its core banking business.
Kyrgyzstan banks face mountains to climb
August 1, 2014Banks in Kyrgyzstan face numerous challenges beyond the accessibility problems caused by the country's mountainous terrain. A distrust of conventional banking and strong position of microfinance institutions means the central Asian state is under-penetrated by conventional lenders, a situation that is slowly but surely starting to change.
What now for Russian capital markets?
August 1, 2014Political 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.
Moldova CBG hitting the inflation target
July 1, 2014Since taking office as governor of the National Bank of Moldova in 2009, Dorin Drăguţanu has implemented the country’s first inflation-targeting policy, has seen interest rates on loans and deposits decline and has welcomed amendments to the law on financial institutions. He speaks to The Banker about challenges surrounding transparency in the banking sector and economic implications of the Russia-Ukraine crisis.