Annotation. This study reviews the recent developments in capital markets and institutional investors in Russia, and examines the policy challenges ahead for the development of the sector. The analysis covers key impediments for further development and policy challenges for securities markets, in particular legal and regulatory framework, market infrastructure, government bonds, sub-sovereign bonds, corporate bonds, and equities. The analysis also covers key impediments for furhter development and policy challenges for mutual funds, pension funds, and insurance companies.

The relevance of research. Today, Russia belongs to countries with emerging markets. Currently, the capital market of Russia does not fulfill its main function – attracting investors’ money to finance long-term projects. Forced development of the financial market can help attract domestic long-term investments in the context of sectoral sanctions from developed countries...

Although financial stabilization has laid the foundation for growth, structural reform of the economy will determine whether Russia achieves sustained medium-term growth. The next step for Russia is to create an institutional and regulatory environment that fosters investment and promotes new private sector activity. This paper examines the most critical reforms for promoting private sector development: reforming the tax system, reducing red tape and bureaucratic corruption, strengthening the judicial system, and improving capital market infrastructure.

Russia needs to continue to assess and improve its business environment in order to ensure continuing investment and sustained growth. Currently many of the new businesses are being established in the larger urban areas but similar new businesses need to develop at the regional level. This book, based on in-depth case studies of more than 70 companies across 13 regions in Russia, examines four areas key to institutional development, and formulates policy recommendations. Topics include: the determinants of inter-enterprise competition and market structure at the local level; the regulatory regime governing the price, supply and access to local infrastructure services; access to corporate finance in regional markets; and the legal system for resolution of commercial disputes.

Russia has embarked upon a difficult process of systemic transformation and economic opening up. While the initial strong GDP decline seemed to have ended in 1997, the real development was facing even more difficult problems as output declined sharply after the Ruble and banking crisis of August 1998: inflation started to increase again, exports and imports were falling, capital flight increasing and unemployment rising. There is broad disappointment in Russia regarding the transformation failure in 1998 since so many people had hoped that the end of the Soviet command economy would bring democracy, prosperity and international integration. While Poland has been able to double per capita income in the 1990s it has fallen by 50% in Russia and this despite considerable IMF involvement and some (modest) support from other international organizations. What were the reasons for transformation failure in the 1990s? What are the ingredients for long term sustainable transformation? What are the internal and international requirements to avoid a second - possibly tragic - failure of transformation in Russia? An international group of researchers has focussed on these problems during a two-year research project financed by the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Foundation. A series of papers were presented at workshops in Potsdam, Bonn and Moscow in 1999 where this book is devoted to four important issues: the Russian transformation crisis, the topic of restructuring, the need for stabilizing Russia and the requirements for modernizing Russia.

The book, the first time, critically evaluates the evolution of both equity and securities markets in transition economies.

Addresses the challenge Hungary faces in overcoming threatening deficits in its current and fiscal accounts without hampering economic growth. The Hungarian economy is emerging from a severe four-year recession with positive developments on numerous economic fronts, but with major weaknesses remaining because of large current and fiscal account deficits. This book addresses the challenge Hungary faces in overcoming these deficits without hampering economic growth. The report examines the country's macroeconomic performance in the first half of the 1990s and the stabilization package launched in March 1995. It explores the structure of fiscal revenues, pension reform, and enterprise and banking reforms. The study also looks at the impact of structural reforms on future economic growth and at Hungary's bid to integrate with the European Union.