Being stuck between Russia and China has never put more pressure on Mongolia than in the past year. But the authorities and banks are making the best of a near-impossible situation – and succeeding in the process.

Trade and Development Bank of Mongolia is considered a pioneer in the resources-rich country. Its momentum on sustainability has gained more steam over the years.

The Kazakhstan central bank’s reliance on an oversimplified toolbox to combat rising inflation could threaten its economy in the longer run. Seeking out alternatives and reassessing monetary policy is now more urgent than ever.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has far-reaching consequences for Uzbekistan’s privately owned Hamkorbank. The bank had just pulled through the pandemic when it had to take a hard look at exposure to Russian trade and the rouble. 

Uzbekistan promises to transform its stock and bond markets in an effort to lure much-needed capital from abroad. Roadshows, tax cuts and easing of restrictions are on the agenda as Tashkent prepares to sell off state assets. 

The merger of Credit Bank with TransBank offers a template for Mongolia’s financial industry, which is ripe for more consolidation and better governance.

Alfa Bank has married its SME focus and its digital ambitions to much success in Kazakhstan, but will its business model be enough to ward off the competition?

The community of economies going green in a hurry has the unlikeliest of new members: coal-addicted Mongolia. Can the country shed its past?

Since Kazakhstan left the Soviet Union and embraced capitalism, its banks have been locked in a boom-bust cycle, but a banker who lamented the passing of Communism has emerged as the industry’s leader. Now Halyk Bank’s Umut Shayakhmetova faces what could be her biggest test yet.