Sber chief executive says Russian firms under sanctions have no one to count on

Russian companies have no one to count on amid tight sanctions-related restrictions, which should be a major driver of further development, Chief Executive Officer of Russia’s top lender Sberbank Herman Gref said at the Finopolis forum of innovative financial technologies on Thursday.

"We currently have no one to count on, which is a major driver as usual. Life makes us optimists as there is no third option: either you are an optimist or you go into the dustbin of history. This is why optimism is one of the most demanded professional tools of any manager, any entrepreneur," he said.