By Andrei Skvarsky. Egyptian companies had about 150 meetings with foreign institutional investors owning assets totalling about $20bn during a recent conference organised by Russian investment bank Renaissance Capital. Continue Reading
Lebanon’s Bank Audi says Nexmo’s WhatsApp solution enables it to improve customer service
By Andrei Skvarsky. Lebanon-based Bank Audi has adopted a device developed by US technology company Nexmo to maintain direct contact with customers through WhatsApp, an increasingly popular means of communication worldwide. Continue Reading
How to Invest in Cryptocurrencies
Until a few years ago, words such as blockchain, cryptocurrency, Bitcoin or Ethereum were familiar only to a relatively small circle of crypto enthusiasts. But the wild price surge of Bitcoin back in 2017 brought the attention of the whole world to this newly emerged asset class. Opinions on that subject in the finance and… Continue Reading
Sberbank hires ex-Health Ministry official to oversee healthcare interests
By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank, Russia’s largest bank, has hired former senior Russian Health Ministry official Yury Krestinsky to oversee its interests in the country’s health sector. Continue Reading
Russian startup develops anti-fraud app for insurers
By Andrei Skvarsky. A Russian startup has developed a mobile application that it says enables insurers to protect themselves from fraudulent claims via a pre-insurance inspection of a property item involving multiple photographs that are dated and timed and record the item’s location. Continue Reading
RenCap to host forum to drum up money inflow into Egypt
By Andrei Skvarsky. Russian investment bank Renaissance Capital is going to host a conference in Cape Town on April 9-10 to attract international, primarily South African, investment to Egypt, a country RenCap credits with highly successful economic reforms. Continue Reading
Sberbank calls on UAE businesses to invest in Russia, offers help
By Andrei Skvarsky. A senior delegation from Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender, hosted a round table in Abu Dhabi last month during which they called on United Arab Emirates businesses to invest in Russia and offered them “direct assistance” with potential Russian projects. Continue Reading
London’s Sun Global arranges bond issue for India’s HDFC housing finance firm
By Andrei Skvarsky. London-based investment manager Sun Global Investments has organised a 10bn rupee ($145m) issue of bonds for a leading Indian housing finance provider, Housing Development Finance Corp (HDFC). Continue Reading
Sberbank hires ex-Raiffeisen banker for newly created investment job
By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender, has instituted a position of chief investment officer (CIO) in its wealth management division and hired former Raiffeisen Bank executive Sergei Schepilov to fill it in. Continue Reading
Sova brokerage chooses Iress as provider of order management, post-trade processing software
By Andrei Skvarsky. London-headquartered investment broker Sova Capital Limited has chosen Australian technology designer Iress to provide software for order management and post-trade processing in its prime services division. Continue Reading
More Russians declare foreign assets since Russia joined CRS but over one-third still keep them secret – survey
By Andrei Skvarsky. More Russians have been notifying Russian authorities of money in foreign banks and foreign-based businesses since Russia joined a pact on international exchanges of tax-related information, a survey shows. Continue Reading
Legacy issues main hurdle to global hi-tech insurance innovation – survey
By Andrei Skvarsky. Unresolved issues originating in outdated business organisation systems are the main hurdle faced by insurance companies worldwide in trying to put their business on a high-tech basis, a survey suggests. Continue Reading
UPDATE (quoting ticket price discount) – Florida’s Opal Exchange networking event to bring together investors, brokers, consultants
Investors, brokers, consultants and any other financial services professionals will have plenty of opportunity for one-to-one meetings during Opal Exchange, a networking event in Florida on March 31-April 2. Continue Reading
Natixis arranges €82m syndicated loan for building Mediterranean’s first offshore wind farm
By Andrei Skvarsky. A banking syndicate led by French bank Natixis has lent an Italian company about €82m ($92m) for building what would be the first-ever offshore wind farm in the Mediterranean Sea. Continue Reading
We mourn tragic death of Sberbank employees in Ethiopia air crash
We are deeply saddened by the tragic death of Sberbank employees Yekaterina Polyakova and her husband Alexander Polyakov in an Ethiopian Airlines aircraft crash on March 10 that also killed the 155 others on board. May we offer our condolences to Sberbank and to the family of Yekaterina and Alexander, a young couple who had… Continue Reading
Lombard Odier forecasts 2 per cent growth for euro zone in 2019
By Andrei Skvarsky. Swiss private bank Lombard Odier has released a generally optimistic 2019 forecast for the euro zone, predicting 2 per cent economic growth for it and arguing that its economy is in a position to offset potential political and trade headwinds. Continue Reading
Impact investing is often more profitable than traditional investing – survey
By Andrei Skvarsky. Impact investing, besides social and environmental benefits, its raison d’etre, quite often involves business advantages over conventional investing, a survey suggests. Continue Reading
Insurance Nexus poll: Most insurers see customer profiling as no. 1 task
By Andrei Skvarsky. As insurance companies worldwide seek to provide clients with bespoke rather than standard products, nearly three quarters of insurers see customer profiling as the key to success, according to a survey by the Insurance Nexus events company. Continue Reading
Credit Bank of Moscow offers interest on overnight deposits to corporate clients
By Andrei Skvarsky. Money deposited by a company or another corporate client at Credit Bank of Moscow (CBM) at the end of any business day returns to the depositor with interest by 11am on the next business day via a new online service. Continue Reading
Sberbank appoints chief data manager, head of logistics
By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender, has announced two senior hires, one for the position of head of data management and one for the role of head of logistics. Continue Reading
Payger, Net Element clinch deal said to offer shoppers new crypto payment facilities
By Andrei Skvarsky. Electronic payments companies Payger and Net Element, the former based in Munich and the latter in Miami, announced a partnership deal last week that, according to the two firms, offers retail shoppers wider opportunities to pay in cryptocurrencies. Continue Reading
RenCap rehires Molchanov to run Russia & CIS investment banking, hires Zitha as S. Africa chairman
By Andrei Skvarsky. Petr Molchanov is rejoining Renaissance Capital after leaving the Moscow-headquartered investment bank several months ago and has been appointed as head of investment banking for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Continue Reading
RenCap reports senior staff moves in Cairo, London, Moscow
By Andrei Skvarsky. Moscow-based investment bank Renaissance Capital has reported senior appointments in its Cairo, London and Moscow teams. Continue Reading
RenCap forecasts a rough 2019 but a glittering 2020 for Russia
By Andrei Skvarsky. Investment bank Renaissance Capital believes the Russian economy will remain on last year’s downward course in 2019 but will be very much on the rise again in 2020. Continue Reading
Insurance Nexus webinar to address challenges faced by innovative insurance solutions
The Insurance Nexus research and event company is going to host a webinar on February 1 that will address challenges faced by insurers in trying to have innovative solutions accepted by their current and potential customers. Continue Reading
Connected Insurance Europe to discuss startups, micro-segmentation
Dozens of companies are getting together in Amsterdam on May 15-16 for the fourth annual Connected Insurance Europe conference, a forum with an extensive agenda focusing on innovative product development and market penetration. Continue Reading
Five businessmen selected for Senegal seed accelerator course
By Andrei Skvarsky. Five young entrepreneurs have been selected for a six-month seed accelerator programme in Senegal due to pioneering farming practices proposed by them. Continue Reading
Hayley Buckle appointed chief recruiter of Cyprus’s GRS headhunter
By Andrei Skvarsky. GRS Global Recruitment Solutions, a staffing agency for Cyprus and Malta, has given the position of director of recruitment to Hayley Buckle, promoting her from senior business manager. Continue Reading
Natixis becomes owner of Titres Cadeaux multi-brand gift voucher operator via deal with La Banque Postale
By Andrei Skvarsky. French investment bank Natixis has become the sole owner of Titres Cadeaux, which is also known as Titres Cado and is France’s fourth-biggest gift voucher operator, after buying a 50 per cent stake in it from La Banque Postale, a subsidiary of French postal service company La Poste. Continue Reading