In Mansion House,  the 250-year old Georgian town palace that serves as home, office and entertainment venue for the Lord Mayor of the City of London, a distinguished group of City bankers and brokers yesterday (Wednesday 14th December) took advantage of a rare opportunity to quiz Alexander Voloshin, the 55-year old former Kremlin strongman now charged with creating an international financial centre (IFC) on the nitty gritty details of the project.

By Michael Bear, Lord Mayor of the City of London

By the time I come to the end of my year-long term as the Lord Mayor of the City of London in November, I will have spent almost 100 days overseas; visiting countries and financial centres identified as key target markets by leading City firms, promoting the City as an attractive location for international investment and helping international firms to overcome any barriers that may be impeding market access.