The Russian businesses' demand for the long-term financial resource is still high. This is especially true for those operating in the real sector of the economy. Nevertheless, there are no banks in Russia (save Sberbank and Vneshtorgbank) that can independently issue loans to, for instance, Gazprom or Transneft. That is why the syndicated Russian and foreign banks' investment is an increasingly popular financial instrument the banks have to use in order to cater to their big customers. The Russian and foreign syndicated loan best practices are different. There are now clear-cut and universal regulations in place in Russia in regard to such business practices. However, the years 2005 and 2006 saw a boom in the syndicated loan issuing in Russia.
