Latest Updates

Bulgaria’s new sheriff in town

Slavi Trifonov is the favourite to become Bulgaria’s next prime minister while Boyko Borissov is consigned to the dustbin of history. But are the two politicians so different?

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Hungarian millionaire’s persecution shows reality of 'rule of law' in Viktor Orban’s Hungary

Fertiliser magnate suffers 17 inspections in two years after clashing with Fidesz oligarchs and ending football club donations.

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COVID cabin fever creates a middle class Balkan jetset

With most of Europe under lockdown, holidaymakers from the Western Balkans are jetting off to exotic long haul destinations.

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MOSCOW BLOG: It’s time for a new pan-European security treaty

Five years ago I wrote an op-ed calling for a new pan-European security treaty. The piece opened with these words: “We are in the middle of the worst political crisis since the end of the Cold War and there is a very real possibility of war."

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Russia gets ready for green power and problems from costing carbon

A string of massive environmental disasters in 2020 and the increasing awareness that Russia’s permafrost is melting have put the climate crisis on Russia’s table and the Kremlin is responding.

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COMMENT: Is Ukraine facing an imminent Russian invasion?

Russia will probably not invade, at least in the short term, but it won’t stop threatening Ukraine until it believes that it doesn’t pose a future threat to the current regime in Russia.

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STOLYPIN: Talk of renewed war in Ukraine likely Russian coercive diplomacy, but worrying for all that

Russian forces are on the move around Donbas and into Crimea, and the unsettling thing for the outside world is that we don’t know why.

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BALKAN BLOG: Few routes to power in Bulgaria’s fragmented new parliament

After voters left PM Boyko Borissov out in the cold in the April 4 general election, the possibilities for forming a new government are slim and a new snap election is the most likely outcome.

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Funding Romania’s next tech champions

Romania-focused venture capital funds, the Bucharest Stock Exchange’s AeRO platform and crowdfunding site Seedblink are providing a growing number of options for local start-ups.

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Kyrgyzstan: Referendum hands Japarov the super-presidency he craved

Iran weighs options after ‘Israeli cyber-attack sets back nuclear programme’

Next steps for Romania’s Fondul Proprietatea

Kyrgyzstan: Referendum hands Japarov the super-presidency he craved

A low turnout may dent the legitimacy of the exercise, however.

Iran weighs options after ‘Israeli cyber-attack sets back nuclear programme’

Tehran talks of revenge but Iranians will be wary of derailing nuclear deal revival attempts that could relieve Islamic Republic’s strangled economy.

Next steps for Romania’s Fondul Proprietatea

It’s ten years since Fondul Proprietatea listed on the Bucharest Stock Exchange. bne IntelliNews looks at what’s next, including the upcoming IPO of its largest portfolio company, Hidroelectrica.

News

Russians request Slovakia to return Sputnik V vaccine after dispute over testing

Slovak tests found that the vaccine shipment differed from the doses sent for testing to the EMA and to The Lancet.

Poland records 954 coronavirus daily deaths, a new all-time high

Government under fire for not restricting movement over Easter despite spike in infections last month.

Persian-speaking Iran and Tajikistan boost defence relations

Tajik Rahmon administration has long been wary of Tehran exporting Islamic Revolution to inhabitants opposed to Soviet-legacy rule.

Protesters attack Montenegrin PM Krivokapic's car

PM Zdravko Krivokapic blamed former President Milo Djukanovic's party for the incident involving a group of people who were travelling to the capital Podgorica to join a protest against the government.

Bulgaria’s PM Borissov gives up parliament seat

Speculation that Borissov plans to quit politics after his Gerb party failed to win enough votes to form the next government.

Russians request Slovakia to return Sputnik V vaccine after dispute over testing

3 days ago

Poland records 954 coronavirus daily deaths, a new all-time high

3 days ago

Persian-speaking Iran and Tajikistan boost defence relations

4 days ago

Protesters attack Montenegrin PM Krivokapic's car

4 days ago

Bulgaria’s PM Borissov gives up parliament seat

4 days ago

More News

Tech

Kazakhtelecom to focus on content

State-run Kazakhtelecom, Kazakhstan's largest telco, plans to produce more of its own content, seeing it as a promising direction of development at a time when regular telecom services are no longer as profitable as they used to be.

EWDN: Investment in Ukrainian-founded startups reached record high $571mn in 2020

In 2020, the total VC and PE investment volume in Ukrainian or Ukrainian-founded tech companies reached a record high $571mn, according to a new report from AVentures Capital

Kremlin gives Twitter another month to comply with content removal demands

Russia’s internet regulator Roskomnadzor has extended the deadline until May 15 for Twitter to delete content the government objects to or face a ban, the watchdog said on April 6.

Albanians’ online purchases surged in 2020

Online purchases were made by 19.5% of the population aged 16-74 in 2020, as the pandemic caused an uptick in online retail across the region.

Russian food delivery service Yandex.Lavka expands to Kazan amid global express e-grocery race

Russia’s Yandex.Lavka, the on-demand e-grocery delivery service launched by Russia’s NASDAQ-listed tech giant Yandex, last week announced its expansion to Kazan.

Kazakhtelecom to focus on content

1 hour ago

EWDN: Investment in Ukrainian-founded startups reached record high $571mn in 2020

5 days ago

Kremlin gives Twitter another month to comply with content removal demands

5 days ago

Albanians’ online purchases surged in 2020

6 days ago

Russian food delivery service Yandex.Lavka expands to Kazan amid global express e-grocery race

9 days ago

More Tech

Opinion

FPRI BMB Ukraine: Turning up the heat in the Donbas and Crimea

For the past couple of weeks, videos have flooded social media showing convoys of Russian military trucks, trains full of tanks, and hordes of helicopters heading toward Ukraine. The question everyone’s asking is: is Russia going to invade Ukraine?

ASH: Ukraine, ask yourself what Putin wants

Russia has the most troops on Ukraine's border than at any time since 2014 but what does Russian President Vladimir Putin actually hope to gain? Tim Ash, Senior Sovereign Strategist at BlueBay Asset Management runs through the possibilities

RIMMER: The Hunger Games

The medical consensus is that it takes roughly two months for someone to die of starvation. Dying, as Gore Vidal drily observed, can be a good career move, but it has its downside. Jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny is on hunger strike.

FPRI BMB Ukraine: Zelenskiy-Biden talks

After much anticipation, US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy finally spoke on the phone last Friday.

FPRI BMB Ukraine: Donbas tensions rising

The ceasefire in Ukraine’s Donbas region has eroded in recent weeks. Last Friday, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed amid heavy fighting near Shymy in the Donetsk region as Russian-backed forces attacked Ukrainian lines.

FPRI BMB Ukraine: Turning up the heat in the Donbas and Crimea

1 day ago

ASH: Ukraine, ask yourself what Putin wants

3 days ago

RIMMER: The Hunger Games

3 days ago

FPRI BMB Ukraine: Zelenskiy-Biden talks

4 days ago

FPRI BMB Ukraine: Donbas tensions rising

11 days ago

More Opinion

Data

Minor outflows from Russian equity and bonds, despite talk of war with Ukraine

Russian equity markets saw a surprisingly modest outflow of $10mn from Russia dedicated funds on the week’s trading ending April 8 despite the arrival of the most Russian troops at the border with Ukraine since 2014.

Labour demand rebounds in Croatia

Labour demand reached about 95% of its pre-pandemic level in March, Online Vacancy Index showed.

Slovenia’s blue-chip index at its highest level in over a decade

Slovenia’s bourse blue-chip index SBI TOP exceeded 1,000 points on April 7, which is the highest value since the end of 2009.

Russia's inflation seen peaking at 5.8% in March

Russia's consumer price inflation in March 2021 posted 0.7% month on month and 5.8% year on year (versus 5.7% y/y in February and 5.2% y/y in January), according to the latest data from RosStat statistics bureau.

Romania’s retail sales growth moderates to 1.5% y/y in Jan-Feb

Romania's retail sales index increased by 1.5% y/y in January-February compared to the same period last year — softer growth than previously but still positive despite the worsening of the pandemic in early 2020.

Minor outflows from Russian equity and bonds, despite talk of war with Ukraine

2 days ago

Labour demand rebounds in Croatia

4 days ago

Slovenia’s blue-chip index at its highest level in over a decade

4 days ago

Russia's inflation seen peaking at 5.8% in March

5 days ago

Romania’s retail sales growth moderates to 1.5% y/y in Jan-Feb

6 days ago

More Data

Features

Nakhchivan rail plans promise to rewire Caucasus connections

Iran stands to be one of the winners of the new regional transportation map.

This former Russian deputy minister is now worth $10bn after NASDAQ IPO

A new Russian techbillionaire emerged last week on the NASDAQ with the SPAC-enabled IPO of Arrival, a company touted as a game-changer in the electric car industry.

IKEA’s New Europe Empire

Getting an IKEA store is a good guide to how developed a country is. And the Swedish furniture store has an uncanny knack for opening their yellow and blue stores exactly at the beginning of a country's rapid growth phase.

Air Bank poised to fly to top of Czech banking

Merger with Moneta Money Bank still going ahead, says CEO of digital bank, despite death of owner Petr Kellner.

China’s water use threatens Kazakhstan’s other big lake

Climate change, farming and a lack of cooperation risk another Aral Sea disaster.

Nakhchivan rail plans promise to rewire Caucasus connections

2 days ago

This former Russian deputy minister is now worth $10bn after NASDAQ IPO

5 days ago

IKEA’s New Europe Empire

9 days ago

Air Bank poised to fly to top of Czech banking

11 days ago

China’s water use threatens Kazakhstan’s other big lake

11 days ago

More Features

Blogs

ISTANBUL BLOG: Portfolio outflows decline but Turkey not out of the woods yet

Anxious times for a central bank with a net FX position of around minus $60bn.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Official inflation bumps up to 16.2%

Thigh deep in the economic quagmire, Erdogan regime at least hears that as things stand Europe can live with it, while Biden seems unlikely to opt for a ruckus.

BRICKS & MORTAR: An outstanding year ahead for Romania’s industrial space market

Low vacancy rate to drive further development of Romania’s industrial real estate market that CBRE expects to grow by 50% within five years.

BALKAN BLOG: Jansa, disconnected

An abruptly cut-off discussion between Slovenian PM Janez Jansa and MEPs confirms fears that Slovenia, like its northern neighbours Hungary and Poland, is on a collision course with the EU over values.

ISTANBUL BLOG: A lull in Turkey’s slow motion car crash

Turks starting to pay the bill for 18 years of horrendous economic mismanagement.

ISTANBUL BLOG: Portfolio outflows decline but Turkey not out of the woods yet

3 days ago

ISTANBUL BLOG: Official inflation bumps up to 16.2%

6 days ago

BRICKS & MORTAR: An outstanding year ahead for Romania’s industrial space market

14 days ago

BALKAN BLOG: Jansa, disconnected

16 days ago

ISTANBUL BLOG: A lull in Turkey’s slow motion car crash

17 days ago

More Blogs

Latest Updates

News

Slovak tests found that the vaccine shipment differed from the doses sent for testing to the EMA and to The Lancet.

Government under fire for not restricting movement over Easter despite spike in infections last month.

Tajik Rahmon administration has long been wary of Tehran exporting Islamic Revolution to inhabitants opposed to Soviet-legacy rule.

PM Zdravko Krivokapic blamed former President Milo Djukanovic's party for the incident involving a group of people who were travelling to the capital Podgorica to join a protest against the government.

Speculation that Borissov plans to quit politics after his Gerb party failed to win enough votes to form the next government.

Tech

State-run Kazakhtelecom, Kazakhstan's largest telco, plans to produce more of its own content, seeing it as a promising direction of development at a time when regular telecom services are no longer as profitable as they used to be.

In 2020, the total VC and PE investment volume in Ukrainian or Ukrainian-founded tech companies reached a record high $571mn, according to a new report from AVentures Capital

Russia’s internet regulator Roskomnadzor has extended the deadline until May 15 for Twitter to delete content the government objects to or face a ban, the watchdog said on April 6.

Online purchases were made by 19.5% of the population aged 16-74 in 2020, as the pandemic caused an uptick in online retail across the region.

Russia’s Yandex.Lavka, the on-demand e-grocery delivery service launched by Russia’s NASDAQ-listed tech giant Yandex, last week announced its expansion to Kazan.

Opinion

For the past couple of weeks, videos have flooded social media showing convoys of Russian military trucks, trains full of tanks, and hordes of helicopters heading toward Ukraine. The question everyone’s asking is: is Russia going to invade Ukraine?

Russia has the most troops on Ukraine's border than at any time since 2014 but what does Russian President Vladimir Putin actually hope to gain? Tim Ash, Senior Sovereign Strategist at BlueBay Asset Management runs through the possibilities

The medical consensus is that it takes roughly two months for someone to die of starvation. Dying, as Gore Vidal drily observed, can be a good career move, but it has its downside. Jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny is on hunger strike.

After much anticipation, US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy finally spoke on the phone last Friday.

The ceasefire in Ukraine’s Donbas region has eroded in recent weeks. Last Friday, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed amid heavy fighting near Shymy in the Donetsk region as Russian-backed forces attacked Ukrainian lines.

Data

Russian equity markets saw a surprisingly modest outflow of $10mn from Russia dedicated funds on the week’s trading ending April 8 despite the arrival of the most Russian troops at the border with Ukraine since 2014.

Labour demand reached about 95% of its pre-pandemic level in March, Online Vacancy Index showed.

Slovenia’s bourse blue-chip index SBI TOP exceeded 1,000 points on April 7, which is the highest value since the end of 2009.

Russia's consumer price inflation in March 2021 posted 0.7% month on month and 5.8% year on year (versus 5.7% y/y in February and 5.2% y/y in January), according to the latest data from RosStat statistics bureau.

Romania's retail sales index increased by 1.5% y/y in January-February compared to the same period last year — softer growth than previously but still positive despite the worsening of the pandemic in early 2020.

Features

Iran stands to be one of the winners of the new regional transportation map.

A new Russian techbillionaire emerged last week on the NASDAQ with the SPAC-enabled IPO of Arrival, a company touted as a game-changer in the electric car industry.

Getting an IKEA store is a good guide to how developed a country is. And the Swedish furniture store has an uncanny knack for opening their yellow and blue stores exactly at the beginning of a country's rapid growth phase.

Merger with Moneta Money Bank still going ahead, says CEO of digital bank, despite death of owner Petr Kellner.

Climate change, farming and a lack of cooperation risk another Aral Sea disaster.

Blogs

Anxious times for a central bank with a net FX position of around minus $60bn.

Thigh deep in the economic quagmire, Erdogan regime at least hears that as things stand Europe can live with it, while Biden seems unlikely to opt for a ruckus.

Low vacancy rate to drive further development of Romania’s industrial real estate market that CBRE expects to grow by 50% within five years.

An abruptly cut-off discussion between Slovenian PM Janez Jansa and MEPs confirms fears that Slovenia, like its northern neighbours Hungary and Poland, is on a collision course with the EU over values.

Turks starting to pay the bill for 18 years of horrendous economic mismanagement.

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