Robert Amsterdam

Meet Roustam Tariko, owner of the Russian Standard vodka brand, and king of consumer credit lending in Russia - one of the country's most promising areas of economic growth alongside retail. Today the International Herald Tribune is running an interesting profile of his businesses, and the changes currently unfolding as Russia's banking system matures into that of a developed economy.

Tariko in the IHT:

"I believe the market for consumer lending will become more professional, more transparent, rates will go down and there will be less risky products," he said. "I am expecting consolidation pretty quickly as smaller operators will exit the business. All these things will be beneficial for Russian Standard."