Business & Economy of Belarus
A "Belarus" 3022 tractor from the current production of Minski Traktorny Sawod, a major Belarusian company that produces agricultural and forestry vehicles.
Images: Dgolnik
Economy of Belarus
The economy of Belarus is based on industry, agriculture, and a growing IT business. The main industrial center of Belarus is Minsk.
Belarus defines its economic system as market socialism, but it resembles more a planned economy in which the central government directs the production and distribution of goods.
The country had a relatively well-developed industrial base, but it is now outdated, inefficient, and dependent on subsidized Russian energy and preferential access to Russian markets. Russian energy subsidies accounted for up to 10 % of GDP and allowed the government to subsidize inefficient state enterprises.
Belarus' agricultural base is largely dependent on government subsidies. Almost all state-owned collective farms would immediately go bankrupt without state support.
[1] Agriculture accounts for about 7% of the country's GDP.
About 80% of the Belarusian industry remains in state hands, and foreign investment has virtually disappeared, apart from sizeable Chinese investments into the agribusiness.
[2] Several businesses have been renationalized. State-owned entities account for 70-75% of GDP, and state banks make up 75% of the banking sector.
Source: The World Factbook -- Belarus
In terms of the Current Account Balance (CAB) by country, Belarus stands with a negative balance between Togo and South Sudan. In 2018 Belarus ranked 12th in the list of the poorest countries of the European continent.
[3]
National Bank of the Republic of
Belarus
The Central Bank of Belarus. The main office of the National Bank is located in Minsk.
Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry
Official pages of the Belarusian CCI. (in English and Russian)
Transportation
Belavia Boeing 737 refueling and boarding at Minsk National Airport.
Image: Vasyatka1
Belavia Belarusian Airlines is the flag carrier of Belarus., headquartered in Minsk.
TransAVIAexport Airlines
Belarusian cargo airline.
Minsk-2 National Airport
Minsk National Airport is the primary air gateway to the Republic of Belarus.
Railway
Belarusian Railway
The state-owned railway company is one of the leaders of the national economy. Belarusian Railway operates the rail transport network in the country. The company transports 75% of all cargo and 45% of all passengers in the country.
Major Belarusian Companies and Brands
Belarusbank
Belarusbank is the largest bank in Belarus. The majority shares of Belarusbank are owned by the State Property Committee of the Republic of Belarus.
Belarus Hi-Tech Park
HTP is Belarus' answer to Silicon Valley. HTP is one of the leading innovative IT clusters in Central and Eastern Europe. Among the residents of Belarus' HTP are EPAM Systems, IBA Group, Ciklum, Itransition, Intetics, and Bell Integrator. World of Tanks (Wargaming.net), Viber, Apalon apps, MSQRD, Maps.me, and Prisma are products of Belarus Hi-Tech Park.
[4]
Beltelecom
Beltelecom is the state-owned national telecommunications company.
Dana Holdings
Dana Holdings is a real estate, investment, and development company with offices in Neuchatel, London, Moscow, Minsk, and Belgrade. Dana Holdings operates in Russia, Belarus, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Serbia, and Croatia. The current flagship of Dana Holdings portfolio is Minsk Mir, a city-in-the-city development of residential, retail, leisure and office space in the capital of Belarus.
Gazprom Transgaz Belarus
Gazprom Transgaz Belarus operates important natural gas transit pipelines through Belarus, the
Northern Lights and the
Yamal–Europe pipelines. These pipelines supply Europe, especially Germany, with Russian natural gas.
Minsk Tractor Works
MTZ (Minski Traktarny Zavod) MTZ is a tractor plant in Minsk that produces agricultural and forestry vehicles. It is part of an association with plants across Belarus that make parts and attachable tools for tractors and other vehicles produced by MTZ.
Alivaria Brewery
Alivaria Brewery is the oldest of the currently existing breweries in Belarus. Alivaria is now part of the Carlsberg Group, which holds 67.8% of shares in the brewery.
BelAZ
The "Belarusian Automobile Plant" is one of the world's largest manufacturers of large and extra-large dump trucks and other heavy transport equipment for the mining and construction industry.
Luch "Minsk Watch Plant"
Mechanical watches from Minsk.
Minsk Kristall
Belarusian vodkas.
M1NSK
Belarusian motorcycles.
Stalinist architecture in the center of Minsk at station square.
Image: Hanna Zelenko
Map
of Belarus
Google
Earth Belarus
Wikivoyage Belarus
Architectural, Residential and Cultural Complex of the Radziwill Family at Nesvizh
Belarus History
History
of Belarus 
