Page 31 - Buy Russia - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine April 2017

bne April 2017 Special report I 31
“We see a slow pick-up of trade finance in some countries such as Russia
and Central Asia, however, this will depend very much on whether these countries can introduce economic reforms,” Kautzky tells us in a more recent interview, while exercising caution. “But even if those reforms are introduced, it will be a slow develop- ment; and for Russia we expect a flat development.” While Russia is still the biggest market in the German bank’s trade financing, “Central Asia also plays a very central role now,” he adds.
In a recent survey conducted by the German-Russian Chamber of Foreign Trade, two-thirds of German exporters who participated anticipate a slight improvement of their revenues in Russia going forward, even though sanctions are expected to remain
in force throughout 2017.
But despite the complex political and economic situation, Russia is cer- tainly not twiddling its thumbs in the trade finance arena until things ease: In 2016, Sberbank Group, our 2017 Eurasia award winner, completed more than $31bn worth of trade finance
and documentary business deals, an increase of 11% year-on-year.
Glum backdrop
For those unfamiliar with the sector, trade finance includes such activities as lending, issuing letters of credit, factoring, export credit and insurance. Companies involved with trade finance include importers and exporters, banks and financiers, insurers and export credit agencies. Repayment terms are generally short-term with the majority being used solely for the completion of a particular financial transaction. This financing forms a safety net, helping
to protect the interests of buyers and sellers in an international marketplace and to complete transactions that
may involve multiple currencies.
Overall, growth in the volume of world trade in goods and services was very weak in the five years to 2016, with growth rates averaging at around 3% – less than half the rate during the preceding three decades. Growth in world trade barely
Table of winners by category
Best Overall
Central Europe
Eastern Europe
Eurasia
Southeast Europe
Export Finance Arranger Commodity Finance Bank Supply-chain Finance Bank Trade/Export Finance Law Firm Commodity Finance Law Firm Insurer
Insurance Broker
Export Credit Agency
Development Finance Institution Trade Finance Technology Solutions
Albania Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bulgaria Croatia Czechia Estonia Georgia Hungary
Iran Kazakhstan Kosovo Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lithuania Macedonia Moldova Mongolia Montenegro Poland Romania Russia
Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Tajikistan Turkey Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan
Commerzbank
Societe Generale RBI
Sberbank UniCredit Citigroup Societe Generale Citigroup
Baker & McKenzie Dentons
Euler Hermes
Willis Towers Watson SACE
Black Sea Trade Development Bank Misys
Tirana Bank AraratBank
PASHA Bank Belagroprombank Raiffeisen Bank Privredna Banka Zagreb Komercni Banka
SEB Pank
Bank of Georgia
OTP Bank
Bank Saderat
Kazkommertsbank
Raiffeisen Bank Bosna i Hercegovina Demir Kyrgyz International Bank Swedbank
Swedbank
Komercijalna Banka
Mobiasbanca
Khan Bank
Societe Generale Bank Montenegro mBank
BRD
Sberbank
Raiffeisen Bank
Tatra Banka
NLB ie Nova Ljubljanska Banka Bank Eskhata
Yapi Kredi
Rysgal Bank
Raiffeisen Bank Aval
Asaka Bank
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