Dr. Arash Azizi talks with bne IntelliNews on the one year anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini and Iran's future.One year after the tragic death of a young Iranian woman at the hands of the Iranian state led to a year of disturbances and challenges to the cleric-led state.YT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5kPID72vXkSpotify: https://spotify.l…

China and the US are on a collision course while Beijing and Moscow are moving closer together and geopolitical tensions are rising. What exactly is China’s foreign policy and attitudes to its growing rivalry with the US? Are Russia and China in an emerging anti-Western alliance or is it just a marriage of convenience? Can Beijing broker a peace in…

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin spent three days in Moscow to form a new deeper economic and pollical alliance. How important was the meeting and what do Xi and Putin get out of it.How will it impact the West’s attempt to tighten the sanctions noose around Russia’s neck. And is a clash between Washington and Beijin…

Join Ben Aris and Mack Tubridy as they discuss the recent rioting in Georgia.They discuss the Foreign agents bill, its withdrawaland themass demonstrations in the centre of Tbilisi, where police used water cannons, tear gas, pepper spray and flash grenades to disperse crowds of protesters in front of parliament. Protests broke out after the the bil…

The West has targeted Russia’s cash cow with two sets of dramatic sanctions. In December an embargo and price cap scheme was imposed on crude oil exports.In February the more widely distributed oil products were hit with the same. But how big an impact will these sanctions have on the sector? Russia managed to export all the oil it previously sent …

The war in Ukraine started one year ago and Russia has been hit by some of the most extreme sanctions ever seen on such a large economy. But have they worked? The government’s revenue tumbled in recent months, but in 2022 Russia had the largest current account surplus ever. Now two rounds of oil export sanctions have been imposed but it is clear th…

Join us for this podcast with Ben Aris, Editor in Chief of bne IntelliNews, as he interviews Owen Matthew about hisnew book on Russia. They discuss their thinking about the War in Ukraine, Putin, his motives and much more.Par bne IntelliNews

Tensions in northern Kosovo escalated dramatically in the second half of 2022, raising fears of a renewed conflict in the region, part of Kosovo but populated mainly by ethnic Serbs. While the situation has eased, a new flashpoint looms with the upcoming local elections in April. We look ahead to the next developments in this longstanding conflict …

Uzbekistan is will hold its first three “People’s IPOs” before the end of the year where the first stakes in three major enterprises will sold off via the Tashkent Stock Exchange. Small stakes will be sold in some of the most attractive companies in the country: UzAuto is Uzbekistan’s major automotive complex and the maker of the ubiquitous Chevrol…

The energy crisis and soaring inflation is going to tip Europe into recession this year, but how bad will it get?join us as we delve into the possibilities and see how Emerging Europe will survive this next recession.Watch it on YouTube hereTo listen to this podcast on other platforms:Spotify:hereAmazon: hereGuests: Liam Peach - Senior Emerging Mar…

The energy crisis has already cost Europe at least half a trillion euros as governments across the Continent rush out support and relief for businesses and citizens as the temperatures start to fall. Can Europe afford it and what are the long term consequences.Nicolas Véron - Senior Fellow at BruegelNicolas Véron is a senior fellow at Bruegel and a…

Join Ben Aris as he discusses the uncharted territories we are entering regarding Russian sanction and the effect they are going to have across Europe and the rest of the world. They touch on Russian mercantilism, The Ukraine war, Russia's technological future, and the economic impact in the long term.YouTube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZja_6s…

The uncertainty by the war in Ukraine has driven up energy prices and allowed Russia to bring in record revenue from its Exports of Oil and Gas.Despite large discounts compared to Western benchmarks, export income has allowed the Ruble to appreciate and may help Moscow mitigate against some of the medium- to long-term effects of Western sanctions.Y…

On May 25 a US sanctions exemption expires that could make it impossible for Russia to pay its debt obligations in foreign exchange.If that happens then Russia could be forced to default on its foreign debt for the first time since the Bolshevik Revolution. What would that mean for Russia’s future? Can the Kremlin avoid default if the exemption exp…

A global pandemic. Food and commodity price shocks. And now a war in Ukraine. Governments around the world have a lot to cope with as they are hit with one problem after another.And Russia is in focus after it invaded Ukraine on February 24. The most extreme sanctions ever have been unrolled to cut the Kremlin off from the funds it is using to fina…

bneWebinar: Russia’s new virtual economyIs Russia’s economy going to be cut off from the rest of the world and what would that look like?bne IntelliNews’ editor-in-chief Ben Aris discussed the question with renowned economist and Russia scholar Barry Ickes, who is best known for coining “Russia’s virtual economy” to describe the 1990s economic bart…

Join Dominic Culverwell andVolodymyr Korniienko as they discuss the views from the ground in Kyiv and the economic impacts in Ukraine and the future of this conflict.Dominic Culverwell -Social media correspondent - bne IntelliNewsmultimedia journalist, disinformation researcher, and award-winning artist. Currentlya correspondent for bne IntelliNews…

Tune in this week as we have the experts discuss the repercussions and reverberations that are going to shock the energy market in the coming future, along with how the world will be impacted as we move away from Russia resources.You can view the live stream hereBen Aris, Editor-in-chief, Bne IntellinewsBen is an Eastern Europe specialist. He previ…

listen in to the incredibly daunting rundown of the impacts of the sanctions that have been applied to the Russian economy and russian peopleso far.This week we are joined by Elina Ribakova,Ben Aris and a special guest appearance fromIvan Tkachev from RBCWatch its here on YouTube: LinkFollow us on Twitter and YouTubeElina Ribakova - Deputy Chief Ec…

This week we are joined by Ben Aris - Editor in Chief and Chris Weafer ofMacro-Advisory, as they discuss the business impacts of recent events.you can view the full discussion on YouTube now:Link to YouTube- like and follow our channelFollow us on Twitter @bneintellinews and @bneeditorChris Weafer , CEO of Macro AdvisoryChristopher Weafer has worke…

This Roundtable talk will focus on questions about whether the Raisi administration is able to meet international requirements for the cessation of sanctions and return to full compliance in exchange for sanctions relief.Ben Aris, Editor-in-chief, Bne Intellinews Ben is an Eastern Europe specialist. He previously worked with the Daily Telegraph, Th…

Talk of a Russian invasion of Ukraine has reached a fever pitch, but how do people in Kyiv feel? And how is big business coping with the uncertainties? bne IntelliNews editor in chief Ben Aris talks to Jock Mendoza-Wilson, the head of communications for Systems Capital Management, the holding company of Ukraine's richest man RInat Akhmetov, about t…

Talking Russia, Ukraine and the West - what on earth is going on and what might happen next - with the excellent Mark Galleoti and also Ben Aris our bne IntelliNews Editor in Chief.. Link to the discussion below:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaY-qCgXzAcPar bne IntelliNews

In this podcast we are joined by Elina Ribakova from IIF,as we discuss what how bad the sanctions onRussia get?during this discussion we touch on a number of topics including:- nordstrom 2- German Gas imports- Swift- and more! tune in to hear what the experts are saying about these sanctions.Par bne IntelliNews

Yesterday(14/01/2022) Editor in Chief, Ben Aris wason Zoom/YouTube for a discussion with Charles Robertson, the head of research at Renaissance Capital, a Russia veteran, to talk about the ongoing talks in Geneva on a new East/West security deal.The talks started on the 10/01/2022 but all that happened was the two sides were feeling each other out.…

Amid the global stock market rally as the world recovers from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) has performed particularly strongly. Not only have its main indices beaten major European and US exchanges this year,it has also seen a flood of new bond and equity listings. bne IntelliNews news editor Clare Nuttall…

The jury is still out on whether the UN's COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow is a success. It will all come down to the contribution of delegates, who are now taking over from nationalleaders in discussions to form a global framework for combatting climate change.China and Russia have drawn significant criticism from Western leaders, including Jo…

Retail in Russia is booming, but it's also undergoing seismic shifts. The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed customers online, leading retailers to invest in technology and logistics in response to unprecedented demand. How can industry leaders keep pace with changing consumer preferences, and what does the future of Russian retail look like? bne Intelli…

Natural gas prices are at historical highs and breaking records on a nearly daily basis. Are sky-high prices here to stay? What is driving the surge?bne IntelliNews hosts three veterans of the Russian market to discuss the issues that between them have more than 100 years of experience.Christof RuehlCurrently at the Centre on Global Energy Policy a…

On May 23 Belarus scrambled a MiG-29 fighter to force down a Ryanair passenger plane flying over its territory and arrested a passenger, the former editor and co-founder of the opposition Nexta Telegram channel. He is now being held in the KGB detention centre in central Minsk but has not yet been formally charged. His girlfriend Sofia Sapega was a…

The world was hit by a global pandemic and an oil shock in 2020 but as 2021 gets underway the economies in Emerging Europe are bouncing back surprisingly quickly.What is driving the recovery? What problems remain? How will Ukraine cope with the suspension of its IMF programme? Just how exposed it Russia to US sanctions?bne IntelliNews’ editor-in-ch…

Ukraine has been on a rollercoaster ride this year. After the wild optimism following the election of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy and the hectic reform legislative drive of the first six months of his administration, the whole programme seems to have been derail and the IMF programme has de facto been suspended thanks to back racking.Wi…

The Uzbek Ministry of Energy hosted an international webinar on current and future developments in the country’s energy sector in cooperation with bne IntelliNews that was hosted by Ben Aris, the editor-in-chief of bne IntelliNews.Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev launched a five-year reform plan in 2019 and it is well underway. The state-owned po…

The political crisis in Belarus has reached a new stage. The protestors have taken control of the streets, withstood a brutal crackdown by the police, and the biggest companies are on strike. but Lukashenko remains in office. Now things are getting political. The opposition’s Coordinating Council just met for the first time. The EU is holding emerg…

It seems the entire population of Belarus has risen up against self-appointed president Alexander Lukashenko following a massive falsification of election results on August 9. But what does the potential regime change mean for business?There are two Belarusian economies: the Soviet legacy giant machine and vehicle producers, such as the famous trac…

It seems that the entire population of Belarus has risen up against Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko, who has hit back with a brutal police operation.Events are moving very fast, but Lukashenko has clearly lost all legitimacy and is attempting to stay on through brute force alone. The nature of the crisis has gone to a new level after workers…

Belarus president Alexander Lukashenko is facing his most serious challenge of the 26 years in power. Unprecedented protests have swept the country as three creditable opposition candidates are attempting to run against him in the August 9 elections.Two of those candidates have been jailed and the third has already been disqualified from the race a…

Minsk saw and unprecedented protest over the weekend after people from across the country took to the streets to demonstrate against the arrest of leading opposition candidate in August’s president elections Viktor Babariko.The incumbent Alexander Lukashenko is facing the biggest challenge to his 26 years in power as the people are angry at his mis…

On July 1 Russians will vote in a referendum to approve changes to the constitution that will reset the clock on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s term count to zero and so in effect allow him to stand for an extra two terms in office after his current term expires in 2024.He doesn't have to hold a referendum and there are several theories to expl…

Uzbekistan was quick to clamp down as the coronavirus epidemic gathered pace and as Central Asia’s most populous country it had good reason to be worried. But now the peak has passed and the biggest of the Central Asian five ‘Stans its back to work and return to the comprehensive reform programme.Uzbekistan is hot as one of the most prospective of …

The coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic is spreading fast in Russia, but while most of the infections are concentrated in Moscow, the large isolated mono-cities in the hinterland are at high risk.Russia’s big business has moved fast to contain the infection, but at the same time most of them need to keep their factories and mines working or face an equ…

The world is going through its biggest crisis since the Great Depression. A global pandemic of a killer virus has come on top of an oil price shock that drove down prices into negative numbers for the first time in history. And a climate crisis continues to run in the background. Where will it end?To be frank, no one knows. We are in uncharted wate…

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought the world’s economy to a shuddering stop. In many respects it is the biggest crisis humanity have face in decades, if not ever. But once the virus burns out what will happen then?There are two scenarios: a rapid bounce back or the beginnings of a years-long Great Depression. The truth lies somewhere i…

The oil price war that has broken out between Russia, Saudi Arabia and the US sent oil price tumbling this week. The fears of a global coronavirus pandemic has only made the collapse worse.But these things didn't cause the crisis. It only made them worse, argues Murray Gunn, an analyst with Elliott Wave, a consultancy that specialises in how societ…

In order to grow Russia needs to respect the rule of law. Russia and Gazprom are upsetting the European energy security as they are ignoring rules and arbitration rulings they had agreed to respect. And this is happening as so few of our European leaders are willing to stand up and demand that Russia be bound by the law.Time has almost run out for …

The initial excitement about the changes taking place in Uzbekistan since Uzbek president Shavkat Mirziyoyev took over two years ago are starting to wear off as the enormity of the challenge becomes clear.There is no lack of good ideas coming out of Tashkent, or even enthusiasm. What is lacking is the people to put those ideas in place. However, pr…

Russia’s economy is emerging from a nasty crisis in 2014-2016, but everyone agrees that growth is capped at 2% at best and incomes have been stagnant for six years already.Russia needs a new economic model and the Kremlin has launched a RUB27 trillion spending programme to transform the country. But spending that amount of money, and spending it ef…

WoE: high tensions in the Middle EastTensions are escalating in the Middle East after US president Donald Trump’s announcement that he was pulling US troops out of Syria. That gave a greenlight to Turkish president Recep TayyipErdogan’s desired incursion over the Syrian board to cleans the area of Kurdish fighters.On top this Iran has locked horns …

Ukraine has a new president and parliament. A raft of reformist legislation has been passed in just the first two weeks and the hectic agenda calls for a lot more by the end of the year. But many questions remain unanswered.So far investment has flooded into the local bond market and yields have dropped 400bp in a matter of months. But until foreig…

Russia’s e-commerce is booming, growing ten-times faster than the traditional economy but it still only accounts for 4.5% of the total retail turnover. But as the leading online retailers start over taking their bricks and mortar rivals the race is on to grab as much market share as possible before the business starts to consolidate.E-commerce is p…