March 22, 2023 Presentation of books by Valery Redkin "How we opened a Bank in Africa, or Journey to the other side of the Earth" and "On the Banks of this wild river, or Operation Liquidation"

March 22, 2023, Valery Redkin at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences presented his books “How we opened a Bank in Africa, or Journey to the other side of the Earth” and “On the banks of this wild river, or Operation Liquidation”, dedicated to the opening of the first Russian bank in Africa. The author spoke about how and why these books were written and also donated several copies to the library of the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

In these books, the author talks about how he and his colleagues opened a bank in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, what problems they faced, as well as about the social and political life in this country, its way of life, traditions, and peculiarities.

The author of the book - Valery Vladimirovich Redkin had been graduated from the Faculty of Economics of Moscow State University named after Mikhail Lomonosov at 1984, and worked for more than 30 years in the financial and banking sector: from 1989 to 2006. worked in the Vnesheconombank of the USSR - Vneshtorgbank of the Russian Federation (VEB - VTB) system, from 2006 to 2019. – at IFK METROPOL, where he headed the “start-up” project to create an investment bank in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa). In the period from 2006 to 2017, he was almost constantly in the DRC. Currently, he is a representative of the Committee for Cooperation with African Countries (AFRICOM) in the DRC and a private consultant on entering the market of the DRC and other African countries.

In 2005, the management of IFC METROPOL decided to create a springboard for promoting Russian business to Africa. Several countries drew attention to the emerging market of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the civil war ended a few years ago. It was decided to create an investment bank there, specializing in mining and infrastructure projects.

As a result of hard work, in mid-2006, permission was obtained from the Central Bank of the Congo to establish and operate the Mining Bank of Congo on the territory of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Mining Bank of Congo (MBC bank) is the first Russian bank in the history of Africa with 100% Russian capital. The opening of the bank's office in Kinshasa took place in April 2009.

“The books are of a philosophical and educational nature, contain elements of adventure and even a detective story, and are written in a lively and easy language. They are based on real events and tell about the unusual adventures of Russian guys who went to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with an almost “impossible mission”: to open the first-ever Russian bank in this African country.

Valery Redkin. “How we opened a bank in Africa, or Journey to the other side of the Earth” M., At the Nikitsky Gates, 2017, 296 p. ISBN: 978-5-00095-261-0

Valery Redkin. "On the banks of this wild river, or Operation "Liquidation"" M., At the Nikitsky Gates, 2019, 248 p., ISBN: 978-5-00095-914-5