Jul 27, 2017 | Caspian, Menas Associates
This is an excerpt from an article in our monthly Caspian Focus publication. Kazakhstan’s second-largest bank by assets, People’s Savings Bank (aka Halyk Bank), has completed the acquisition of its larger rival, Kazkommertsbank. Last year’s rebranding changed the...
Jun 23, 2017 | Caspian, Menas Associates
This is an excerpt from an article in our monthly Caspian Focus publication. Azerbaijan has been sending reassuring signals to the Western investor community following its decision to withdraw from the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) in March (see...
May 24, 2017 | Caspian, Menas Associates
This is an excerpt from an article in month’s Caspian Focus publication. Despite being one of the world’s most autocratic and closed countries, even Turkmenistan cannot totally control the flow of information in the 21st century. Anonymous sources with knowledge...
Apr 25, 2017 | Caspian, Menas Associates
The breakaway province of South Ossetia — which seceded from Georgia in August 2008 in the aftermath of the Russo-Georgian war — held a presidential election and a referendum on 9 April. The election was won by the speaker of parliament, Anatoly Bibilov, who won 58%...
Mar 28, 2017 | Caspian, Menas Associates
In last month’s issue of Caspian Focus we voiced concerns about Azerbaijan’s continued non-compliance with the human rights chapter of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). This month Baku decided to leave the transparency coalition altogether. The...
Feb 22, 2017 | Caspian, Menas Associates
This is an excerpt from an article in our Caspian Focus publication. On 13 February, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliev abolished the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Communication and High Technologies, instead merging them into one ‘super...
