Corruption is a major problem for most emerging markets, and in truth, quite a few developed states. Time and time again in BMI’s analysis on emerging markets, my colleagues and I have written on how governments need to crack down on corruption, if they want to attract greater foreign investment and prosper. However, this is [Read more...]

“If you have a lot of what people want and can’t get, then you can supply the demand and shovel in the dough”. – Lucky Luciano
It’s a simple enough concept, and one that helped make the father of modern organised crime in the United States cited above ‘one of the most influential builders and titans [Read more...]

The unsurprising landslide victory of the opposition GERB (Citizens for European Development of Bulgaria) party in Bulgaria’s parliamentary elections on Sunday (July 5) could prove to be the sea-change which many ordinary Bulgarians have been desperately waiting for. In the aftermath of the elections, I believe that the overwhelming support for the three-year old centre-right [Read more...]

At the end of April, Risk Watchdog went to the ‘Invest Iraq’ conference in London. It was attended by several hundred representatives from a broad range of companies, and a large chunk of the Iraqi government, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (who gave the keynote speech), was there. The delegates were very ‘on message’ and [Read more...]