Belarus tests new BUK missile system as a low-key arms race in Eastern Europe gathers momentum
CSTO states express serious concern over terrorist threat in Afghanistan
Armenia refuses to host Eurasian Economic Union summit
COMMENT: Trump 2.0 could be a blessing for Belarus
Damage of key infrastructure on the seabed of the Baltic raises security concerns, calls for Nato involvement
Did Russia shoot down the Azal passenger plane that crashed in Kazakhstan?
Plane crashes in Kazakhstan on Baku-Grozny flight with nearly 70 onboard
Russia sentences dual US-Russian citizen to 15 years on espionage charges
Russia’s arms exports slump, Kremlin preparing for possible war with Nato
Ukraine invasion was ‘spontaneous’ and unplanned, Putin claims
Bulgaria’s interim PM Glavchev refuses to sign 10-year military support deal with Ukraine
Telia willing to sell its Latvian operations back to government if price is right
The EU Council calls for a European geothermal action plan
FDI in Emerging Europe hit by geopolitical uncertainty and German slowdown
Czech National Bank keeps interest rates at 4%
Czech EPH signs agreement with Italian Enel to buy its stake in Slovenske Elektrarne
Hungary grants political asylum to fugitive former PiS minister
Hungarian households have joint lowest consumption levels in EU
Polish industrial production disappoints in November as output falls 1.5% y/y
Polish producer price deflation eases further in November
Slovakia’s Fico in surprise visit to Putin in Moscow
Slovenia sets up emergency alert system after devastating floods
IMF: The 2004 EU enlargement was a success story built on deep reform efforts
Albania imposes one-year TikTok ban
Athens conditions support for Albania’s EU accession on protection for Greek minority
EU Council says enlargement is a "geo-strategic investment in peace"
BALKAN BLOG: What Grenell’s return means for US diplomacy in the Balkans
International highway tears through Bosnia’s rural heartlands
Russia reaps harvest of chaos in nearby democracies
Croatian Bosqar Invest acquires bakery Mlinar in €100mn deal
TikTok says it has stepped up moderation ahead of Croatian presidential election
Kosovo bans main Serb party from running in general election
Kosovo's population down 12% since 2011
Kosovo’s president slams EU’s “unfair” treatment
Moldova's economy shrinks by 1.9% y/y in Q3
Bureks vs. Big Macs
Serbia faces backlash over controversial foreign agents bill
North Macedonia's central bank lowers key interest rate by 0.25 pp to 5.55%
North Macedonia’s ex-deputy PM Grubi reportedly flees to Kosovo to avoid detention in corruption case
Romania's ruling coalition survives elections
Romanian liberals orchestrated Georgescu campaign funding, investigation reveals
Formation of ruling coalition in Romania faces deadlock as Social Democrats suspend talks
Tens of thousands rally in Belgrade demanding accountability over Novi Sad railway station disaster
Turkey launches monetary easing cycle with 250bp rate cut
Turkey hikes minimum wage by 30% in line with financial market demands
Turkey advances Syria engagement with energy plans and refugee return
Turkey, Syria tandem could mean piped Qatari gas for Europe and a supercharged Middle East clean energy transition
Growing Islamic finance in Central Asia to unlock GCC investment
INTERVIEW: Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank financing Central Asia’s green future
Award seen as Nobel Prize for human rights won by Kabul women’s rights activist and jailed Tajik lawyer
Corruption probe launched into Armenian satellite project
EBRD warns of risks for emerging markets pursuing industrial policies
Several top Armenian officials resign amid political shake-up
Azerbaijan trades barbs with French and US diplomats in online "Twiplomacy"
Azerbaijan’s Aliyev lines up with Russia and Trump, admits Georgia interference
PROFILE: Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili
World Bank approves $350mn as Tajikistan bids to fund completion of $6.3bn Rogun mega hydro project
Russia sells stakes in Kazakhstan uranium JVs to China
Kyrgyzstan’s President Japarov demotes liberal democracy in favour of a “traditionalist” ideology
Adylbek Kasymaliev appointed new chief of Kyrgyzstan’s cabinet ministers, predecessor dismissed amid tax corruption scandal
Decades-old Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan border dispute could be over
Hit indirectly by sanctions, Mongolia struggles to find workarounds
HESS: Mongolia’s unique success story between rock and a hard place at risk
Mongolia copper-gold discovery hailed for “globally significant” prospects
Tajikistan: Officials announce discovery of major rare earth deposits
Tajikistan: Rogun Dam is a white elephant in the making – report
PANNIER: Why the Turkmenistan, Iran gas “friendship” is back on
COP29: Central Asian states losing arable land
Uzbek national arrested in Moscow bombing that killed Russian chemical defence chief Kirillov
Uzbekistan’s Moscow embassy “clarifying” details on man detained after scooter-bomb assassination of Russian general
Sanctioned Russian cargo ship sinks in Mediterranean after explosion
Russia's budget oil breakeven price world’s second lowest as oil revenues recover
Southeast European countries look to Algeria to diversify energy supplies
Slovenia turns back to Algerian gas after flirtation with Russian supplies
IEA: Access to energy improving worldwide, driven by renewables
The hurricane season in 2024 was weird
Global warming will increase crop yields in Global North, but reduce them in Global South
Hundreds of millions on verge of starvation, billions more undernourished as Climate Crisis droughts take their toll
Global access to energy starts to fall for the first time in a decade, says IEA
Saudi Arabia hosts kingdom's first Africa summit, to boost ties, promote stability
Putin at 2023 Africa-Russia summit: Wiping debts, donating grain and boosting co-operation
EBRD 2023: Bank to expand into the whole of Africa plus Iraq
Botswana throws the diamond industry a lifeline
Nelson Mandela worried about natural diamonds, Leonardo di Caprio defended them, makers of lab-grown stones demonise them
Botswana’s 2,492-carat diamond discovery is golden opportunity to replicate legendary Jonker diamond's global legacy
Kamikaze marketing: how the natural diamond industry could have reacted to the lab-grown threat
Russia’s Rosatom to support nuclear projects across Africa at AEW2024
JPMorgan, Chase and HSBC reportedly unwittingly processed payments for Wagner warlord Prigozhin
Burkina Faso the latest African country to enter nuclear power plant construction talks with Russia
IMF: China’s slowdown will hit sub-Saharan growth
Moscow unlikely to give up Niger toehold as threat of ECOWAS military action looms
Overcoming insecurity to unlock the Central African Republic’s mineral riches
Russia funding war in Ukraine via illegal gold mining in Africa – WGC report
Rain, rain go away
Africa, Asia most people living in extreme poverty
10 African countries to experience world’s fastest population growth to 2100
EM winners and losers from the global green transformation
Russia blocks UN Security Council resolution on Sudan humanitarian crisis
G20 summit wraps up with a joint statement strong on sentiment, but short on specifics
Malaysia seeks BRICS membership
SDS storms fed by sand and dust equal in weight to 350 Great Pyramids of Giza, says UNCCD
Southern Africa has 'enormous' potential for green hydrogen production, study finds
Kazakhstan has no plans to join BRICS, says Astana
Sri Lanka to apply for BRICS membership
How France is losing Africa
Gabon coup attempt after the re-election of President Ali Bongo
Guinea grants final approvals to Rio Tinto for $11.6bn Simandou iron-ore project
Kenya’s untapped mineral wealth holds the promise of economic transformation
US adds 17 Liberian-flagged bulk carriers and oil tankers to Russian sanctions-busting blacklist
Panama and Liberia vying for largest maritime registry
Force majeure at Libya’s Zawiya Refinery threatens exports and oil expansion plans
Russia, facing loss of Syrian base for Africa operations, seen turning to war-torn Sudan or divided Libya
Libya’s mineral riches: unlocking a future beyond oil
Ukraine claims it was behind massacre of Wagner Group mercenaries in Mali
Can Morocco's phosphate wealth put it at the centre of the global battery supply chain?
Hajj aftermath: deaths, disappearances and detentions spark investigations across world
Sri Lanka's LTL Holdings targets African power sector
Russia's nuclear diplomacy binding emerging markets to the Kremlin
Can Niger's military junta seize the country's uranium opportunity?
Disaster season: heat waves sweep the world – in charts and maps
AI will be a major source of GHGs by 2030, says Morgan Stanley
Niger and beyond: Francophone credit delivers coup de grâce
The world has passed peak per capital CO₂ emissions, but overall emissions are still rising
Trump threatens BRICS with tariffs if they dump the dollar
SITREP: Middle East rapidly destabilised by a week of missile strikes
Colombian mercenaries trapped in Sudan’s conflict
Air France diverts Red Sea flights after crew spots 'luminous object'
COMMENT: Tunisia on the brink of collapse
Tunisian President Kais Saied re-elected for second term
WHO declares "global public health emergency" owing to mpox outbreak in Central Africa, new virus strain
Climate crisis-driven global food security deteriorated between 2019 and 2022 and is even affecting the US
South Korea’s won slides as martial law crisis sparks market turmoil
China unveils $71bn swap facility to revitalise flagging economy
Nozomi Energy snaps up major solar portfolio in Japan
Fukushima's forgotten victims as Japan shifts back to nuclear power
Balancing growth and sustainability: Southeast Asia’s energy dilemma
India’s second-largest clean energy company ReNew plans to go private
India's Competition Commission approves major steel industry acquisition
Trump vows to block Nippon Steel's $14bn bid for US Steel
China dismisses Trump's tariff threat, warns of 'no winners' in trade war
Iraq blocks IMDb website over 'immoral content' claims
Display unveils groundbreaking 50% stretchable screen: a game-changer for fashion and mobility
South Korean users flock to YouTube and Instagram as local platforms struggle
Bahrain and Iran to begin talks on normalising relations
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait set to offer Russians visa-free entry
Jaw-dropping discovery: 450,000-year-old tooth unearthed in Iran
China's COMAC eyes Saudi Arabia as launchpad for international expansion
Iran lifts bans on WhatsApp and Google Play, promising wider online access
Dollar hits new high in Tehran ahead of international holidays
Israel claims responsibility for Hamas leader Haniyeh's July death in Iran
Iran's former foreign minister proposes new MWADA regional security framework
Trump signals readiness for Iran nuclear talks via Omani channel – Iraqi media
Iraq halts oil exports to Syria amid regional instability
Israel's Mossad chief calls for direct Iran strike after missile hits Tel Aviv
PODCAST: Emerging Global's Mathew Cohen talks with Ruthie Blum
Iran's Supreme Leader rejects claims of regional proxy forces
Qatar-Turkey-Europe gas pipeline ambition could be back on following fall of Assad
As jubilant Syrian refugees in Turkey celebrate Assad downfall, analysts wonder what comes next in power vacuum
Erdogan sets Damascus as final target for “rebels” advancing in Syria
Kuwait greenlights tax deal with Iraq to prevent double taxation
Iran demands 'equal footing' with Kuwaiti and Saudi plans to drill for gas in Gulf
Middle East power grid struggles as demand hits record high
Iraq braces for severe heatwave with temperatures to reach 49C
Iranian ambassador claims US sets conditions on Syrian-Iranian relations
Israeli settlers from extremist sect cross into Lebanon, IDF confirms
How Assad turned Syria into a narco-state
So you want to get on the right side of Donald Trump? Try gift-wrapping a hotel
ANALYSIS: Regional escalation on the table following Israeli strike on Iran
Sea of Oman oil terminal boosts export resilience amid tensions with Israel
Qatar joins regional powers in Damascus diplomatic outreach
COMMENT: A stable Syria could become a major energy hub
Germany ignored multiple warnings by Saudi Arabia before Magdeburg attack
Saudi Arabia extracts lithium from oilfield runoff, plans commercial pilot
Christmas tree set on fire in Syrian city by masked gunmen
ISTANBUL BLOG: After “conquering” Damascus, Erdogan turns his eye to the Kurds
Israel launches biggest strike in Yemen, killing 40 people
TEHRAN BLOG: Pezeshkian's dilemma over Haniyeh's assassination
Iranian foreign ministry condemns Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran
Reactions to the killing of Haniyeh in Tehran
Argentina announces ambitious nuclear programme linked to AI development
Latin America set for tepid growth as Trump tariff threat looms, ECLAC says
Latin America urged to boost tax take and private investment to close development gap
IMF: Breaking Latin America’s cycle of low growth and violence
COMMENT: Trump’s White House picks signal rocky start with Latin America
Latin America trapped in low growth cycle, ECLAC warns
Bolivian ex-president Evo Morales faces formal charges of human trafficking
Geothermal energy poised for major global expansion, says IEA chief Fatih Birol
US-Cuba rum war spills over as Biden law stirs Havana Club row
Brutal gang violence over failed voodoo spell claims nearly 200 lives in Haiti's capital
Mexican cartel boss who created fearsome Zetas returns to face justice after US deportation
Paraguay stands firm with Taiwan amid growing Chinese pressure
Murder exposes secret prostitution ring in Peruvian Congress
Protests in Bangladesh escalate, demanding president leave office
Bangladesh tribunal issues arrest warrant against ousted PM Sheikh Hasina
World Bank says Bangladesh GDP growth to shrink in FY25
US imposes preliminary duties on Southeast Asian solar imports
COMMENT: From Globalisation to “slowbalisation” as FDIs decline on trade and geopolitical woes
Angkor Archaeological Park attracts nearly 700,000 foreign tourists in nine months
Asia’s shipbuilding renaissance: record orders and rising prices
Almost two-thirds of Malaysians favourable towards China
Peru's APEC summit exposes trade tug-of-war between Beijing and Washington
Rising gold ETF inflows set to drive global bullion prices
Russian exports of diamonds to Hong Kong up 18-fold in 5M24
Gazli Gas responds to reports on Uzbekistan project, refutes any suggestion sanctioned individuals are involved
Valuation questions raised over Blackstone's $2.1bn IPO of India’s International Gemmologist Institute
Where does nuclear power-use stand in post-COP29 Asia?
Boldly brewing where no one has brewed before: Japanese sake to be made in space
BCPG to invest $945mn in power projects, prioritising clean energy
Malaysia’s industrial growth slows in October following mixed sector performance
Myanmar junta to allow observers for controversial 2025 election amid ongoing conflict
Nepal floods - death toll rises to 209
Kolkata hospital rape and murder case sparks international outcry, raises questions
South Asia hit by floods and landslides after heavy rainfall
Russian pivot to the Global South includes unscrupulous army recruiting practices
North Korea’s missile support to Russia raises alarms at UN
North Korean troops face heavy losses in Russia-Ukraine War as conflict intensifies
North Korean troops suffer casualties in Ukraine conflict
South Korea intensifies military drills to bolster defences against North Korean drone threat
Security personnel dead as Imran Khan’s supporters breach Islamabad lockdown
Pakistan could quit TAPI as India now “extremely lukewarm” on gas pipeline project, says report
Papua New Guinea tribal conflict leaves 30 dead amid gold mine dispute
Korean lawmakers move to impeach Prime Minister Han
South Korea's acting president rejects six controversial bills amid growing tensions
Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports in October up 18.22%
Blinken warns Taiwan crisis could trigger global economic turmoil
Taiwan boosts defence with advanced Abrams tanks amid rising Chinese tensions
Japan plans tax hike to fund $280bn military buildup
German Prosecutors Confirm Termination of Money Laundering Investigation Against Alisher Usmanov
Comments by President of the Russian Fertilizers Producers Association Andrey Guryev on bilateral meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin
PhosAgro/UNESCO/IUPAC green chemistry research grants awarded for the 8th time to world's best young scientists
PhosAgro Tops RAEX ESG Ranking
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Russia’s second-largest bank VTB Bank has launched an online car marketplace in partnership with ILSA, an aggregator of 871 official dealers in 71 Russian cities.
Customers are able to book a car from ILSA and apply online for a loan, but still would still need to come to a VTB branch or a car showroom. But VTB plans to make the whole service purely online.
BCS Global Markets comments that other banks are also interested in such a service, with Sberbank and TCS Group aiming to launch a marketplace for new and used cars this year. Sovcombank (Russia’s 13th largest bank) already operates a similar marketplace.
"The new service may save some costs, decreasing the bank’s physical presence at dealerships, albeit we expect no significant impact in the short term," BCS GM commented, seeing the news as neutral for VTB.
As reported by bne IntelliNews, in 2019 VTB said it aimed to bridge the digital development gap with Sberbank, Russia's largest bank and tech giant wannabe are aiming to unite all services under Sber's branded ecosystem. VTB also said it intended to launch an open "super app" IT platform to unite financial and consumer services in 3Q20, planning to invest RUB2.5bn ($40mn).
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