To The Point: Finance | Q1 2020

Keep calm and carry on. Two months into 2020, the financial world remains at a point of uncertainty about the immediate future, but is also seeing a number of interesting developments, both in terms of market movements and regulatory/legislative initiatives.

The current consensus about the global (and, by extension, CEE) macro-economic outlook it that, on the one hand, we find ourselves at the peak of the cycle. On the other, we are facing idiosyncratic uncertainties such as a looming pandemic, a prospect of a disorderly Brexit, and political instability in EU. Thrown into the mix are legacy business challenges facing European/CEE banks, such as the fight to sustain profits on traditional banking products and the quest to tap into new markets (where a new breed of competitors – including Big Tech and fintechs – needs to be fought). Last but not least, looming legal uncertainties are not making matters easier: should the loan syndication (and possibly even