EBRD blog

EBRD publishes the 2012 Sustainability Report

Martin McKee — Fri, 10 May 2013 05:57:41 +0000

This week at the EBRD Annual Meeting the Bank launched its 10th Sustainability Report .The report looks back at sustainability-related successes and challenges from 2012 across a wide range of issues, including climate change, water and sanitation, gender, nuclear safety, public consultation, policy development and many others.… Read more

Hungarian Deleveraging: What Do Bank CEOs Tell Us?

Ralph De Haas Deputy Director of Research — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:20:32 +0000

Hungary has been hit hard by the recent wave of bank deleveraging: credit to households and enterprises contracted more than in most other EBRD countries. Why? Three reasons spring to mind.

First, recent BIS data show that –together with banks in Slovenia and Croatia– Hungarian banks experienced the most severe reductions in funding from foreign creditors, including their own parents.… Read more

Turkish equity: opening up for growth

Paolo Monaco, Principal Banker, Local Enterprise Facility — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:47:55 +0000

A lot of business in Turkey is family owned. Whether it’s the first, second or third generation in charge, it can be difficult to contemplate bringing in outsiders as co-owners.

But as more companies realise the benefits of opening up, we see many great examples of companies bringing investors on board and benefitting everyone in the process.… Read more

EBRD-CSO dialogue: Is social media the right communication tool?

Biljana Radonjic Ker-Lindsay Head of Civil Society Engagement Unit — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:25:22 +0000

Recently, the EBRD has been more consistently using social platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Google as well as the EBRD blog to reach out to civil society organisations in its countries of operations.

Social media helps the Bank to stay in touch with its private sector, government and civil society stakeholders across the EBRD region and to provide real time feeds about its activities.… Read more

Can preferential lending programmes be the magic bullet to revive lending?

Alexander Lehmann Senior Economist — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 11:44:08 +0000

Earlier this month the Hungarian National Bank (MNB) announced a preferential Funding for Growth Scheme (FGS) and an FX swap facility, less than one month after Mr Matolcsy’s appointment as governor. It was presented as being inspired by the Funding for Lending Scheme launched by the Bank of England last year.… Read more

Turkish SMEs: Financing small, thinking big

Oksana Pak, Senior Banker - Financial Institutions — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:27:22 +0000

Ozcan Ozozan, the founder of a glass mould making company from Mersin, only has a vague idea about the EBRD. Yet when the company, Ozen Iş Makina, needed an urgent supply of raw materials for an extra order, this medium-sized business in the south of Turkey benefitted from a TL 200,000 (€85,000) loan from the EBRD’s credit line for SMEs, administered through Yapi Kredi Bank.… Read more

Foreign Banks and the Global Crisis: Weathering the Perfect Storm

Ralph De Haas Deputy Director of Research — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:05:36 +0000

Over the last two decades many countries have opened their banking sectors to foreign investors in order to improve the quantity and quality of financial services available to local firms and households. How has this process of banking integration affected these countries and, in particular, did it make them more resilient or more susceptible to financial shocks?… Read more

EBRD President meets civil society for the first time in the southern and eastern Mediterranean

Biljana Radonjic Ker-Lindsay Head of Civil Society Engagement Unit — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:25:07 +0000

On 17 March 2013, during his visit to Jordan EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti met with representatives of civil society and royal organisations in Amman. The meeting was in addition to his audience with King Abdullah and meetings with the highest representatives of the government, international community and businesses.… Read more

Turkey’s wind: conditions set fair

Andi Aranitasi Senior Banker Power and Energy — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 11:19:59 +0000

Wind power generation is a very cool way to invest. It is a clean and fast way to increase energy production. The EBRD invests in wind power in many countries, from Croatia to Mongolia, but Turkish wind represents one of the best opportunities.… Read more

Western Balkans: Intensive high-level dialogue and consultations with civil society

Biljana Radonjic Ker-Lindsay Head of Civil Society Engagement Unit — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:56:55 +0000

During March 2013 the EBRD engaged in extensive dialogue with civil society in the Western Balkans, where consultations were conducted on the draft country strategies for Kosovo and FYR Macedonia, and Board Directors met with local civil society organisations in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.… Read more