Banking
SAUDI ARABIA: THE THRIVING BANKING SECTOR
Saudi Arabia | Banking Sector
Highly capitalized and boasting healthy margins, Saudi banks are unlikely to feel much fallout from the country’s slowing economy and the impact of low oil prices.
Author: Justin Keay
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Capital Raising & Corporate Finance
REFINING THE MIX IN SAUDI ARABIA
Country Report | Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia’s budget deficit is ballooning, but a ministerial reshuffle has fueled hopes the kingdom is resolute in kicking its hydrocarbon addiction.
Emerging & Frontier Markets
SURPRISE PRESIDENTIAL WIN FOR GRABAR-KITAROVI
Newsmakers | Croatia
Despite the ceremonial nature of the Croatian presidency, Grabar-Kitarovi has denounced the government for “cold-hearted” economic policies and says Croatia’s economy is a national disgrace.
Capital Raising & Corporate Finance
LITHUANIA FINALLY JOINS THE EUROZONE
<strong>Lithuania | Milestones</strong><br />
On January 1, Lithuania abandoned the litas, becoming the 19th member of the eurozone and joining Baltic peers Estonia and Latvia in the economic and monetary union.
Economics, Policy & Regulation
CEE: STRUCTURAL REFORMS NEEDED
<strong>Central & Eastern Europe | Emerging Markets Regional Review</strong><br />
Central and Eastern Europe has come a long way in the past 25 years, but the region must overcome some significant obstacles in 2015—particularly as Russia’s conflict with Ukraine continues.
Economics, Policy & Regulation
ROMANIAN VOTERS EMBRACE IOHANNIS’S POLITICS
<strong>Romania | Newsmakers</strong><br />
Iohannis defeated prime minister and Social Democrat leader Victor Ponta, taking 54.5% of the vote against 45.5%. So who is Iohannis?
Capital Raising & Corporate Finance
A WATERED-DOWN EEU
Milestones | Commonwealth Of Independent States<br />
In October, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia put the finishing legal touches to the creation of the Eurasian Economic Union, which comes into being on January 1, 2015.
Economics, Policy & Regulation
CYPRUS BEGINS LONG ROAD TO RECOVERY
<b>COUNTRY REPORT | CYPRUS</b><br />
Amid continuing harsh austerity measures, things are—very slowly—starting to recover, alongside restructuring that will change the focus of the economy. GDP in 2014 should contract by 3.5% before flattening out next year, with 0.2% growth forecast.
Capital Raising & Corporate Finance
LEVANT: LONG-TERM PROSPECTS OUTWEIGH INSTABILITIES
Regional Focus | The Levant<br />
Offshore energy reserves, a stable banking sector and infrastructure gaps all present opportunities for foreign investment in the Levant region.
Country Report
MOVING BEYOND THE COMFORT ZONE
COUNTRY REPORT | TURKEY: OVERVIEW<br />
Recent presidential elections saw political continuity and investor appetite maintained in Turkey, but high levels of indebtedness and political divisions cause some concern.
News
NEW PM A RELATIVELY UNKNOWN QUANTITY
NEWSMAKERS | POLAND<br />
The crop-haired, bespectacled 58-year-old is barely known outside Poland. Even within, most people know Kopacz, a former doctor and Health minister more for her loyalty to Tusk than for anything else.
Banking
TURKISH BANKS UNDER FIRE
COUNTRY REPORT | TURKEY: BANKING<br />
Turkey’s president is not a fan of them, and an increasing tide of regulation and a growing debt profile make for a difficult operating environment for Turkish banks.