Back to black: Russian banks return to profit

IT CAN OFTEN seem as if Russians like nothing better than to disappoint people. Sometimes that’s no bad thing. Based on previous form the sharp downturn in Russia’s economic fortunes following the onset of the global credit crunch and associated recession in 2008 meant some observers felt it was extremely likely that a large number of banks would go to the wall, leaving in their wake millions of disgruntled depositors, creditors and investors.

In August 1998, following the sovereign’s debt default, that’s exactly what had happened, when the Russian government and Russian bank owners showed an alarming willingness to walk away from their financial obligations.