A Russian bank that doesn't (necessarily) prefer hiring Russians

Otkritie, the Russian bank which was officially born earlier this year, has hired seven new

fixed income bankers into its London office.

Even though they're based in the City, at least three of these new hires appear to be Russian, suggesting a possible preference for people from Otkritie's country of origin.

We are, however, reliably informed that 86% of Okritie's London-based staff are not Russian at all.

Otkritie may therefore be a good bet for EU-bankers who can't get into Jefferies - particularly as a spokesman for the Russian bank tells us that it, "continues to recruit across all business groups and office locations."

However, the appetite for non-Russian hires may be waning. One recruiter says that four or five years' ago Russia's banks hired lots of foreigners. These days, he says experienced Russian speakers inevitably take precedence.