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Friday, 26.04.2024, 22:37
Baltics to get more of US attention due to Blackstone investment – experts
Photo: blackstone.com. |
"Investments of this type are important not only in economic but
also in political terms as they encourage countries to pay more attention to
what's happening in the regions where their companies and businessmen have
invested. Naturally, such an investment would have been even more important, if
it had been done in some 1995 before Lithuania and other Baltic states joined
the European Union and NATO," Ramunas Vilpisauskas, director of the
Institute of International Relations and Political Science at Vilnius
University, told.
He stressed the fact that NATO membership has increased the United
States' attention to the matters of the Baltic states, which can be seen from
the presence of American troops in the region.
"The other factor that's changing the tradition attitude to
investment and political security is incumbent US President Donald Trump's
policies which often run counter to deep-rooted attitudes and economic
explanations. Despite investors' ties with Trump, his decisions are often based
on motives different from the traditional economic and political logic,"
Vilpisauskas said.
Meanwhile, Sarunas Liekis of Vytautas Magnus University believes
the Blackstone investment might
become an alternative in the Baltic banking sector dominated by Scandinavian
capital.
"It's very good that American capital is entering the banking
sector, and it's way better than capital from the East. Besides, it will become
an alternative to the Scandinavian capital monopoly in the Baltic states'
banking market. Blackstone represents
the Anglo-Saxon tradition, they have a more relaxed view on lending issues and
are not afraid to invest and take risks, and that might be very beneficial for
the whole Baltic market," Liekis told BNS Lithuania.
In his words, one has also take into account the fact that Stephen
Schwarzman, the chairman and CEO of the Blackstone
Group is an influential figure in Trump's circles.
"Schwarzman is considered one of the supporters of the Trump
administration, and many Blackstone international projects match and support
Trump's line. The US administration's attention to Lithuania and other Baltic
states should, naturally, increase after this investment. If money comes, who
have to be interested to ensure that nobody comes and takes it in a few
hours," Liekis said.
It was reported last week that a Blackstone
consortium is buying a 60% stake in Luminor,
one of the largest Baltic banks, and will own the bank jointly with its current
shareholders, Nordea Bank and DNB.
The value of the deal is 1 bln euros, Luminor
said in a press release.
Blackstone is one of
the largest investment companies in the world, with the company's managed
assets worth 439 bln US dollars (378.9 bln euros).