bne Fri, 27th Jan -- The multitude of Ukrainian businesspeople that reportedly pay through the nose for the benefits that a parliament seat offers are delighted to find that an upcoming rejig of the country's election system could cut the price by half.
Tim Gosling in Prague Fri, 27th Jan -- Although registered in the US, Epam Systems has the bulk of its operations in the CIS, and Belarus in particular. That makes its forthcoming IPO - for which it provided an initial pricing guide on January 23 - an interesting test of investors' attitude to Alexander Lukashenko's troubled country.
Ben Aris in Moscow Fri, 27th Jan -- Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is playing with fire by underestimating the burgeoning Russian protest movement, which "could lead to violence", Ilya Ponomarev, a leading member of the protest movement, tells bne in an exclusive interview.
bne Fri, 27th Jan --
The multitude of Ukrainian businesspeople that reportedly pay through the nose for the benefits that a parliament seat offers are delighted to find that an upcoming rejig of the country's election system could cut the price by half.
Tim Gosling in Prague Fri, 27th Jan --
Although registered in the US, Epam Systems has the bulk of its operations in the CIS, and Belarus in particular. That makes its forthcoming IPO - for which it provided an initial pricing guide on January 23 - an interesting test of investors' attitude to Alexander Lukashenko's troubled country.
bne Fri, 27th Jan --
Deputy Prime Minister Sergiy Tigipko confirmed on January 26 that Ukraine will resume negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on restarting the country's $15.5bn standby loan programme in a fortnight or so. The statement follows a visit by a Ukrainian delegation headed by new Finance Minister Valeriy Khoroshkovsky to Washington DC to meet with IMF officials earlier this week.
bne Fri, 27th Jan --
Major Russian gold miners Polyus Gold and LSE-listed Polymetal are reported to be in talks over resurrecting a possible merger. However, based on the former's questionable track record on M&A announcements, analysts speculate the news may simply be a leak intended to drive up Polyus' share price ahead of a new equity offer.
Ben Aris in Moscow Fri, 27th Jan --
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin is playing with fire by underestimating the burgeoning Russian protest movement, which "could lead to violence", Ilya Ponomarev, a leading member of the protest movement, tells bne in an exclusive interview.
Thomas Escritt in Budapest Wed, 25th Jan --
A head-strong government in Hungary that is nervously eyeing its dwindling popularity in the polls may well decide in the end that the gamble of going it alone is a better bet than the austerity that could carry on for another four years.
Anna Krachenko in Moscow Mon, 23rd Jan --
Russian companies aren't famous for returning value to shareholders, but in the face of the prolonged crisis in Europe they have been doing just that with a raft of share buybacks. That window of opportunity looks to be closing, though.
Olesia Oleshko in Kyiv Tue, 24th Jan --
Ukraine is set to hold general elections in the autumn, on which a new election law is expected to have a profound effect.
Molly Corso in Tbilisi Tue, 24th Jan --
Long before it was famous for roses, revolution and reform, Georgia was known for its gold. But today the country's antiquated laws could be pushing potential investors away - to Armenia.
Sandy Gill in Sofia Fri, 27th Jan --
With shale gas a controversial topic in and beyond Europe, Bulgaria has made up its mind rather abruptly which side of the argument it's on - at least for now. So why an outright ban? Politics rather than statesmanship is the answer.
John Casey of HSBC Thu, 26th Jan --
While the economic picture remains gloomy in Europe, international trade is a key driver of Europe's success story in the future.
bne Mon, 16th Jan --
There are four burning questions to be answered in 2012. The first and most important is: will Prime Minister Vladimir Putin allow a second round in the March presidential election?
Roland Nash of Verno Capital Fri, 13th Jan --
2012 is shaping up to be a year of change in Russia. Both the economic and the political models that have underpinned the country for a decade have stopped working. Inside, we lay out our top-10 trends to watch for 2012.
Plamen Monovski, CIO of Renaissance Asset Managers Tue, 20th Dec --
We hope you enjoy this special edition of Renaissance Asset Manager's "Friday RAM" report, which peers, tongue-in-cheek, into some unexpected occurrences in 2012. It mixes the wacky with the serious, the probable with the impossible, leaving it to you, the Reader, to spot which one is which.
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