Nowadays the most discussed theme of the society is financial crisis, and the most popular personality is a banker. So, these days we met with the chairman of board and General Manager of AccessBank - Andrew Pospielovsky, native British, in order to worm some bank secrets out of him.BRITISH WHO SPEAKS
ENGLISH WITH AN ACCENT
- Are you an Englishman?
- No, I consider myself to be British. I was born in London and London is my home, but my parents were immigrants and they moved from one country to another. I grew up in different countries and spent most of my childhood in Canada, so my accent is a little strange and most English people will think I am a foreigner. However, Great Britain has become a multi-ethnic country, with people from many ethnic backgrounds who now consider Great Britain their homeland. So I can not claim to be ethnically English, but I am proud to be British.
- Does it mean that all those British living in Baku keep their money in your bank?
- Not all British and foreigners know about our bank, and many of them do not keep their money in Azerbaijan.
- Is it true that all English are boring people who just love their queen?
- Yes, we are tediously boring. As for loving our queen - in Britain every individual has a right to their own opinion and you will find many different attitudes towards the monarchy and the queen, personally I have a great deal of respect for our queen.

YES, I WORK WITH MONEY, BUT NOT WITH MY MONEY
- In childhood, we, young Baku guys were sure that the richest people in the world- are bank directors.
- Although, I am a bank director, the bank's money is not my money; most of it is not even the money of our shareholders. Mainly, we work with funds entrusted to us by our clients -depositors and international investors. It is a big responsibility to look after other people's money and it is a responsibility that I, as well as every member of our staff, take very seriously.
- Can you count money fast?
- After many years of working in the banking sector, I can count relatively quickly, but there are many people in our bank, especially our cashiers, who can count money much faster than me.
- In which currency is better to keep money?
- Nobody can answer this question as it is impossible to foresee everything that can affect a currency's value in the future. However, as a rule-of-thumb, it is best to save in the currency in which you will ultimately spend your money.
- Then at least, tell us when this crisis will be over?
- There is much debate about this among leading economists of the world and I do not claim to have a better understanding, nevertheless I will try to answer your question. It depends on what you understand under this word 'crisis'. There is no debate that the world economy is in deep recession, but this 'crisis' has yet to truly reach Azerbaijan. Indeed it is not clear yet to what extent the crisis will affect Azerbaijan so it is therefore difficult to talk about when it will be over. At the same time I want to emphasize that in a global context the Azerbaijan economy remains very strong and I consider myself to be lucky to be working here.
CHEESE AND BOTTLE OF WINE FOR LAST MONEY
- Did you know the difference between Azerbaijan and Birobidjan prior to your arrival to our country?
- While I came to Baku for the first time in May 2006, I have been working across the former Soviet Union for over 20-years so I at least knew where Azerbaijan was and had some ideas about the country.
- Are you married? I ask taking into account your being young.
- Unfortunately, I am not so young any more, but fortunately I am married, we have a young child and we are all happily living here in Baku.
- It is not proper to ask about wives in our country, so I am not going to ask, either. If there were a financial ruin or bankruptcy, what would you buy for your last money?
- My goals in life are not to 'buy something', the most important thing for me is firstly the health and safety of my family. But I suppose you would like a more specific answer - so I would see out my last sunset with my wife and a fine bottle of wine and some good cheese.
- Where and how foreigners have their rest in Baku?
- This is an individual question and you will get many different answers depending on who you ask. As for my wife and myself, we enjoy being in the open air and in the countryside. Azerbaijan is blessed with very beautiful mountains and nature. We enjoy hiking, camping, swimming.
- What is the most pleasant place in Baku for you?
- The most pleasant place for me in Baku is my workplace. I am very proud of our dedicated and professional staff and Access Bank's role in providing financing to small business, developing the economy and eliminating poverty. I consider myself fortunate to be here and to be part of the work of AccessBank.
- It means you are the happiest person. Thanks for this interesting interview.
Kamal Ali