OREANDA-NEWS. On November 26, 2007 Natalya Orlova, Chief economist at Alfa-Bank recognized best banking analyst based on the results of the fourth ranking of stock market analysts conducted by the magazine RBK daily, reported the press-centre of Alfa-Bank.

Alfa-Bank’s analytics have been ranked among the top-10 in terms of the current situation in the market (A. Henkel), strategy (E. DePoi), power industry (A. Kornilov) and consumer market (B. Martin). As a whole, Alfa Bank’s Research Team has been recognized one of the best in the Russian market.

The main criterion to single out potential claimants for participation in ranking was the presence of an investment company or bank on the list of top-10 “Russia’s major brokers by the results of the first half of the year 2007”. This rating is based on MICEX and RTS trade volumes (without taking into account REPO transactions). Such an approach made it possible to assess the analysts’ quality of work by direct consumers of their estimations and conclusions from the position of professional market participants.

The best analysts were singled out in 11 categories by industries. Some 30 companies were involved in ranking, with the total amount of analysts exceeding 100 people. The experts included the representatives of investment companies, i.e. those who take their own decisions, including on the basis of analytical reports and surveys. The analysts were assessed by a 3-grade scale (3 is the highest point), with the gained points being summed up and the best analyst chosen. Such an approach allows getting the external audit of the analyst’s work results, and not merely summarizing the comments of colleagues and competitors.

The RBC Group operates on the mass media (an information agency, business television channel RBC TV, online newspapers, and marketing communications) and IT (RBC SOFT) markets.

RBC’s news strategy is based on the principle that only primary sources of information are proven reliable. RBC provides its clients with all necessary information and creates cutting-edge technological ways of delivering it. Their main goal is to foster Russia’s integration into the global information and economic community with the help of hi-tech solutions.

Alfa-Banking Group is one of Russia’s largest privately owned banking groups in terms of equity, assets, branches, retail deposits and funds under management.

Founded in 1990, Alfa-Banking Group offers a wide range of products and operates in all sectors of the financial market, including corporate and retail lending, deposits, payment and account services, foreign exchange operations, cash handling services, custody services, investment banking and other ancillary services to corporate and retail customers.

Alfa-Banking Group has 280 offices across Russia and abroad. The Group also operates through subsidiary banks, affiliate and branch offices in Kazakhstan, the Netherlands, Cyprus, the US and the United Kingdom and serves more than 2.6 million individual and more than 51 thousand corporate clients. These include many of Russia’s top 200 companies.

In addition to banking, Alfa-Banking Group has FSA, CySEC and NASD-regulated brokerage subsidiaries, and other companies located in Cyprus, London and New York.