On March 2 and 3, 2nd Annual conference “Investments in Russian banking sector” was held in New York City. Chairman of the Board of Directors of OJSC credit bank Center-invest professor V. Vysokov, Doctor in Economics, made a report at this conference.

In the frames of the conference professor Vysokov met with representatives of leading financial organizations of the USA (Ministry of Finance of the USA, Federal Reserve Banking System of the USA, Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), US Export-Import Bank) and with private investors. Professor Vysokov discussed with them practical issues of investment project realization of the enterprises of the South of Russia with the use of American equipment.

In his speech professor Vysokov told about Bank Center-invest experience in cooperation with foreign partners and attraction of investments in capital:

Today Russian banking sector is the most attractive for investments sector of Russian economy as it is:

• The most dynamically developing one – growth rates of the banking sector today make up 30-40% a year while the annual economy growth of the country is only 6-7% on the whole.

• The most transparent one - the Bank of Russia controls Russian banks daily.

• The most competitive one – taxes and reserves of credit banks are utilized for state banks development.

• The most qualified one – banks exercise control and management of their own risks as well as of their customers in all the sectors of economy.

Russian banking system yield to European one in capitalization more than 20 times and in scales of crediting and deposits attraction – 5-6 times. Prolonged banking sector reforming (transition to International Financial Reporting Standards), imperfect market (domination of State banks) are also its weaknesses. However, these figures do not represent the disadvantages only: they reflect reserves for growth of banking services market in Russia. Thus, the investments and interbank cooperation are exercised with the participation of international financial organizations (EBRD, World Bank, National agencies for investments guaranteeing). The selection of Russian partners is exercised according to standard ratings of capital and assets profitability, which in Bank Center-invest equal the indicators of the largest banks of Russia these days.

Bank Center-invest obtains transparent structure of the shareholders; leading enterprises of the South of Russia as well as international institutions such as EBRD take part in the Bank capital. Corporate Governance Code is accepted and is functioning in Bank Center-invest. The Bank was awarded high credit rating by Independent National Rating Agency RusRating. For 9 years running Bank Center-invest has been successfully audited by the company PriceWaterhouseCoopers in accordance with international financial reporting standards.

The Bank has its own strategy of development as well as the program of doubling of its customers’ business up to 2009. In the frames of this strategy Bank Center-invest holds educational seminars for its customers and partners: since the beginning of the current year over 5 meetings with representatives of different market sectors of Rostov and Krasnodar regions have taken place. Bank Center-invest possesses diversified structure of credit portfolio by fields, is successfully developing corporate, retail lending and lending to SMEs. Advanced structure of risk management is implemented in the Bank.

Customers of Bank Center-invest, its partners and their customers benefit from the Bank cooperation with foreign financial organizations. Those who do not work with Center-invest bank lose. From foreign partners bank Center-invest acquires long term resources, needed for new industrialization of the South of Russia, as well as new technologies of customer services: international contracts guarantees and letters of credit, leasing, project financing, car lending, mortgage. Together with the administration of Rostov region Bank Center-invest has created database that allows finding a partner among 25 thousand SMEs of Rostov region and over 200 German enterprises.

Enterprises and entrepreneurs who have been granted a credit in Bank Center-invest receive free international plastic card and web site (developed by Center-Internet Ltd.) to extend the scales of business.

US official persons have been interested in cooperation with Bank Center-invest. Contacts with them will be continued in the near future and business of the South of Russia will get new possibilities and technologies for development.