An iron fist in the liberalization glove

As Putin's rule becomes more established, the political trend in Russia is firmly authoritarian and centralist. But that is not necessarily a barrier to liberal economic reforms.As Putin's rule becomes more established, the political trend in Russia is firmly authoritarian and centralist. But that is not necessarily a barrier to liberal economic reforms. Ben Aris reports.

THE SENIOR MOSCOW banker was blunt the night president Vladimir Putin was swept into a second term of office. “But is the lack of democracy good for Russia?” he pondered.

It is not the sort of question that foreign investors normally ask of political events in Russia but they are very nervous about what the future holds.

Ironically, no-one believes that Putin’s overwhelming victory will be bad for the economy. A new cabinet was appointed a week before the vote to save time, and prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov, a Yeltsin-era politician, was replaced by Mikhail Fradkov, who will be the technocratic enforcer running a slimmed-down government.

An iron fist in the liberalization glove

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An iron fist in the liberalization glove

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The world’s best private banks for digital

Rebuilding banks from the inside out in the digital age

Eastward bound: Why Gulf banks are tapping Asia’s capital markets

Islamic Finance Innovation 2025

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