OREANDA-NEWS. December 12, 2011. For the second consecutive year, Otkritie has sponsored ‘The Russian Banking Forum’ hosted by Adam Smith Conferences, reported the press-centre of Otkritie.

The event took place over three days between 29th November and 1st December at the Chancery Court Hotel, London. In attendance were some of Russia’s most influential figures in the banking sector, including CEO’s of the country’s major banks, directors of consulting firms and the Deputy Finance Minister of the Russian Federation, Alexey Savatyugin.

This year’s event, with the theme of ‘Time for Growth: New Strategies – New Directions,’ focused on plans for the future in the Russian banking sector. In a volatile economic climate, key spokespeople in the industry discussed what direction the country can take in over the next few years.

Boris Mints, Chairman of the Board of Directors gave a presentation on ‘Key Growth Strateies for 2012 and Beyond'. Within Mints' presentation, he addressed several key themes

- During this time, when Russia is in pre-financial crisis, the country must take the measures to deal with every eventuality. The recent extensive development and growth of Russian banks, including Otkritie, has been a large step towards this.

- In comparison to other sectors of the financial industry, including insurance, banks are in a primary position, in spite of an unpredictable economy.

- With the volume of foreign assets increasing, stabilised funding and high interest rates, the view of Russia as the stable, financial hub of Europe is fast becoming a reality

Other presentations were made by representatives of VTB Bank, Nomos Bank, Centr-Invest Bank, Gazprombank and Raiffeisen Bank and Accenture.