Dear members,

Please kindly refer to the AEB Daily Update below.

Exchange rate

$: 77,51 RUR ⇓
€: 90,72 RUR ⇓
¥: 11,11 CNY ⇓

О&G prices

Brent (barrel): $ 65,21 ⇑
Urals (barrel): $ 56,85 ⇑
Natural Gas: $ 4,91 ⇑

Key rates

CBR:16% ⇓
ECB: 2,65% (fixed rate) ⇓
FED: 3,5-3,75% (actual) ⇓

Politics

The Kremlin has confirmed that Putin will meet with Witkoff on January 22

21.01.26 | Vladimir Putin will meet with special envoy of the President of the United States Steve Witkoff on January 22, Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian president, confirmed. Shortly before that, the negotiations were announced by the American side.

Patrushev called possible state regulation of food prices

21.01.26 | The introduction of state regulation of food prices is possible, but for an extremely short period of time. There are market instruments that make it possible to keep prices on the domestic market at an acceptable level, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Patrushev said at the Third Forum of dairy Industry Leaders.

Economy

Russia's oil export revenues increased by $250 million in December

21.01.26 | Russia's oil export revenues in December 2025 increased by $250 million compared to November and decreased by $3.21 billion year-on—year to $11.35 billion. This follows from the monthly report of the International Energy Agency (IEA).

The Central Bank will increase reserves for banks with an increase in mortgage payments above 20% per year

21.01.26 | The Bank of Russia plans to increase reserves for banks issuing mortgages, which provides for an increase in monthly payments of more than 20% per year. This follows from the materials posted on the regulator's website.

The Ministry of Finance expects a noticeable budget deficit at the beginning of the year amid a shortage of oil and gas revenues

21.01.26 | The federal budget of the Russian Federation may have a significant deficit at the beginning of the year due to a shortfall in oil and gas revenues and significant advance payments, Deputy Finance Minister Vladimir Kolychev believes.

ASI has presented a standard for the involvement of cultural heritage in the economy

21.01.26 | The Director General of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) presented a model standard for the work of regional authorities on the involvement of cultural heritage sites in the economy. After approval, the document will be recommended for implementation starting in 2026.

Business

Automation of production will lead to higher salaries, not fewer staff.

21.01.26 | Incomes of skilled workers in manufacturing industries may grow by 11.5%, Forbes writes, citing a report by the Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy.

Chinese car brands have sharply reduced the number of showrooms in Russia

21.01.26 | In 2025, 643 showrooms of Chinese brands (in the segment of passenger cars and light commercial vehicles) were closed in Russia, Gazprombank Avtolizing and Avtobusinessrevue calculated for Kommersant. This is 1.4 times more than a year earlier.

Society

The Voronezh Region and the Altai Territory topped the anti-corruption rating of the subjects of the Russian Federation

21.01.26 | The most active fight against corruption in the last four years has been conducted in the Voronezh and Chelyabinsk regions, Altai and Krasnodar Territories. These regions have taken the leading positions in the "Anti-Corruption rating of the subjects of the Russian Federation in the conditions of the SMO", presented on January 20 by the Center for Political Information.

International

EU welcomes Trump's refusal to impose additional duties

22.01.26 | EU leaders reacted positively to the statement by US President Donald Trump on the cancellation of the tariffs, which were supposed to come into force in February in connection with the situation around Greenland.

The United States expects 35 countries to participate in the event on the establishment of the Peace Council

21.01.26 | Representatives of 35 countries out of 50 invited to the event are expected to attend the ceremony dedicated to the creation of the Peace Council in Washington

The EC declared the EU's readiness to act decisively if the dialogue with the United States on Greenland fails

21.01.26 | Europe is ready to act decisively in response to the US threats around Greenland if dialogue with Washington fails, said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission (EC).

The State Duma reduces fines for hotels

21.01.26 | State Duma deputies at the plenary session adopted in the first reading a bill to reduce fines for hotel owners for violations of migration and registration rules.

The State Duma approved in the first reading the accelerated withdrawal of unclaimed cars and goods from customs

21.01.26 | The State Duma approved in the first reading a draft law aimed at speeding up the procedure for transferring cars and goods left at customs sites to federal ownership. The document reduces the period of public notification of the owners from 60 to 30 days.

Max is proposed to be used for electronic document management between an employee and an employer

21.01.26 | The Ministry of Labor of the Russian Federation has developed a draft law on amendments to the Labor Code (TC), which provides for the use of the Max messenger from September 1 in employee-employer interaction through electronic document management in the field of labor relations.

A draft law on expanding the powers of the FAS in tariff regulation was adopted in the first reading

21.01.26 | The State Duma has adopted in the first reading a government bill enshrining the right of the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) to review marginal tariffs and determine the distribution of necessary gross revenue among network organizations in the event of systematic non-compliance by regions with its decisions.

The Bank of Russia will tighten reserves for indirect financing of M&A transactions

21.01.26 | The Bank of Russia will specify the types of loans that relate to financing M&A transactions, including loans used to repay such loans or reimburse related costs. A draft guideline has been published on the Central Bank's website in order to improve and update the current requirements for assessing credit risks on loans, taking into account supervisory practices and proposals from the banking community.

Trump rules out force but renews Greenland demands at Davos

21.01.26 | U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would not take over Greenland by force, but stuck firmly to his demands for control of the Danish territory during a speech in Davos and hinted at consequences if his ambitions were thwarted.

Trump: We're reasonably close to a deal to end Ukraine conflict

21.01.26 | U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said he thought "we're reasonably close" to a deal to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, adding he would meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy later in the day.

Venezuela oil output can rise 30% in near-term, US energy secretary tells executives

21.01.26 | U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told oil company executives on Wednesday that Venezuela's output can rise 30% from its current level of 900,000 barrels per day in the short- to medium-term, three executives who attended the meeting said.

EU nears historic trade deal with India, von der Leyen says

21.01.26 | The European Union is on the verge of concluding a free trade agreement with India, although work remains to get it over the line, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.

UK businesses warn growth may be off the menu after latest tax hike

21.01.26 | Businesses in Britain's hospitality sector say new taxes are limiting their capacity to invest, compounding a traditional weakness of the economy and undermining the government's pledges to revive growth.

EU is at a crossroads towards more independence, von der Leyen says

21.01.26 | The EU needs to speed up its push for independence to defend itself in a fast-changing world, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday.

Russia's Gazprom Neft provisionally agrees to sell NIS stake to Hungary's MOL

19.01.26 | Russia's Gazprom Neft has reached a provisional agreement to sell its majority stake in Serbian oil refiner NIS to Hungary's MOL, opens new tab, Serbia's Energy Minister Dubravka Djedovic Handanovic said. OFAC imposed sanctions on NIS over its ownership and would need to approve the transaction

US Remote Access Security Act – Draft Bill

12.02.26 | Remote Access Security Act, is a draft bill in the Congress that would expand U.S. export control law to cover “remote access” by foreign persons to items under U.S. jurisdiction - such as accessing controlled technology over the internet or cloud - from outside the United States.

Best regards,

Tadzio Schilling,
Chief Executive Officer
Association of European Businesses

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