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RAINY DAY FUNDS

Russia’s Currency Reserves Hit Record $600Bln

As oil prices have recovered, Moscow’s international reserves have continued climbing.

Russia’s Agricultural Sector Boosts Output Despite Pandemic

Growth in 2020 slowed down, but total output was almost record-breaking.

PLAYING THE MARKETS

Russia’s Private Investor Boom Spooks Regulators

Russia’s Central Bank, long cautious over the sharp rise in retail investors, now sees possible financial risks.

Russia Records 3.6% GDP Fall in Third Quarter

Economic slowdown moderated over summer months, official statistics show, but second wave has put the economy back under pressure.

Russia’s Ingushetia Region on Brink of Bankruptcy

The North Caucasus region is deep in the red. It could be the first domino to fall in a looming regional debt crisis.

Russian Health Food Startup Soars During Pandemic

A new appreciation for healthy living has helped former model Elena Shifrina’s BioFoodLab edge closer to a dream IPO.

CORONAVIRUS RECESSION

Fresh Data Shows Russian Economy Suffering Broad Slowdown

Business surveys show activity in both services and manufacturing is in decline.

Russia’s MegaFon Joins Race to Provide Mobile Internet From Space

Data network could ensure mobile coverage reaches areas traditional cable networks can't.

Russian Regions Face Looming Debt Crisis

As the second wave hits Russia’s regions hard, the costs are mounting for their fragile finances.

Rare Snowmelt Floods Power Station in Russian Far North

Warmer temperatures increasingly threaten Russia’s energy infrastructure.

Ukraine Set for IMF Support After Approving Anti-Kolomoisky Banking Law

New law opens door for $5.5 billion in loans from IMF.

Diamond Sales Plunge 95% at Russia's Top Producer

Coronavirus wipes out global demand for precious stones.

Is Russia Facing Another Banking Crisis?

The coronavirus pandemic and the oil price collapse are taking their toll.

Extreme Volatility Marks Turbulent Week on Russian Stock Market

The RTS index was down 45% from its recent peak Thursday in one of the craziest trading weeks in a generation.

Russian Businesses Show Few Signs of Coronavirus Hit, For Now

Bellwether PMI readings show business conditions holding steady, but deterioration still likely.

CORONAVIRUS CRASH

Russia’s RTS Falls Below 1,400 in the Worst Sell-Off Since 2008

Coronavirus pandemic fears are gripping emerging markets.

Russia’s Top Retail and Tech Companies Join Forces to Hunt for Innovations

Three consumer giants are looking for solutions beyond Russia’s borders.

Russia’s Real Estate Sector Set For Expansion

After two years of low investment, Russia’s builders should be in high demand in 2020.

RETAILERS’ THERAPY

Russia’s Retailers Show Signs of Revival

Footfall in malls hit a five-year high and fresh government spending should boost consumption.

HEAVYWEIGHT CLASH

Gazprom vs. Sberbank: The Battle to be Russia’s Most Valuable Company

Gazprom has pulled out a $10 billion lead over Russia’s largest bank.

Russia, Climate Change, and the $30 Trillion ESG Investment Prize

Russian companies can’t ignore the rise of environmental investors for much longer.

Ukraine Could Follow Russia in Credit-Driven Retail Boom

Russia's loan-driven consumer spending is running out of steam, while Ukraine is just getting started.

Vostok Oil: Russia’s Newest Arctic Energy Hope

Rosneft’s Arctic energy project is the latest attempt to exploit the region’s vast resources.

Renewables Drive Accelerates as Enel Russia Sells its Largest Coal Power Station

The sale could be a turning point for Russia’s utilities sector as companies respond to environmental concerns of the government and investors.

Carbon Footprint

The Cost of Carbon in Russia

Russia is the world's fourth-largest polluter, but has ratified the Paris climate accord.

Russia’s Ratings Agency ACRA Assigns A- Sovereign Rating to Russia

The score is higher than those given by the big three international ratings agencies.

Russia's Net Public Debt Falls to Zero

Despite low oil prices, Russia Inc. is accumulating money quickly again as it has become a lot more profitable than it was in the noughties.

Moscow Summer Rains Send Shoppers Indoors

Muscovites suffered the coldest summer on record this year, which drove them indoors to the malls to escape the rains.

business analysis

The Trouble With Investing Into Russia

The Russian climate depends entirely on your point of view.

Business feature

Moscow’s Frozen Relations With Europe Start to Thaw

Harsh new sanctions are increasingly unlikely and there is growing room to cut some sort of deal.

Russian Companies Slowly Embrace Recycled Plastics

Investors and customers alike are demanding Russian companies adopt environmentally sustainable policies.

leaps and bounds

Wildberries Overtakes Sportmaster as Russia’s Biggest Clothes Retailer

This is the first time an e-commerce store has become a market leader in the country.

Pipeline Politics

Turkish Stream Pipeline is Almost Finished, Gazprom Says

TurkStream should be online by the end of the year.

Shrinking sector

Lack of New Business Pulled Down Russia's Services and Manufacturing PMIs in June

The overall economy continues to sputter and services are negatively affected by the stagnant real incomes.

Sharing profits

Russia’s Dividend Season Opens as Investors Prepare for Record Payouts

Yields and cash amounts are forecast to hit an all-time high in 2019.

Islamic finance

Russia's Sberbank to Acquire Stake in Islamic Charity Platform PayZakat

The start-up helps Muslims to give alms.

As Rumors Swirl That Russia’s Gazprom Will Replace Its Chief, the Company’s Value Keeps Growing

The “state within a state” is now Russia’s most valuable enterprise, and investors believe fundamental change is on the cards.

Shares in Russia’s Gazprom Soar

Doubling of dividend payout has lifted valuation.

Deripaska Slams U.S. Treasury Memo Accusing Him of Playing Politics

The oligarch said the document is full of false claims.

Business feature

The Russian Economy Is Stagnating

GDP growth since the start of the year has been well below forecasts.

investment sentiment

Yields on Russian Benchmark Bonds Fall as Foreign Demand Rises

OFZ treasury bills are trading near their highest levels for two years.

Business feature

Why Are Russian Stocks So Cheap?

Would-be investors don’t believe companies’ boards will share revenues.

Business feature

Russian Real Estate Market Getting Back on Its Feet

Investment rose by nearly a third in the first three months of the year.

Business feature

Can Russia Halve Its Poverty Level?

Some say Putin’s ambitious target was meant to light a fire under bureaucracy rather than represent an achievable goal.

Business feature

Russia’s Nuclear Power Exports Are Booming

Rosatom has been using nuclear power plants as a way of cementing ties with its fellow emerging markets.

Ukraine Faces a Bleak Winter as Russia Prepares to Cut Off Gas

The head of Ukraine’s state gas company Naftogaz expects deliveries to stop on January 1, 2020.

Moscow Exchange Chief Steps Down a Year Early

Bourse vows to stay on positive course.

Financial controls

Russia’s Finance Ministry Takes Control of the Country’s Most Indebted Regions

Expenditure and borrowing will be closely watched.

Mutual interests

Russian State-Owned Bank to Buy Stake in Major Construction Company

Firm is owned by oligarch and Putin ally Arkady Rotenberg.

Business Feature

Russian Private Medical Services Show Healthy Growth

The emerging middle class is willing to pay more for good health.

opinion Ben Aris for bne IntelliNews

Russia’s Consumers Still Glum but Businesses Becoming Optimistic for 2019

Russia proved to be a tale of two cities as 2019 got under way.

Russian Supermarket Leader Magnit Makes $1.78Bln Bid to Buy Rival Lenta

Lenta has been struggling to keep up as the supermarket business has become tougher.