Vodka is a clear distilled alcoholic beverage originating from Poland and Russia, composed primarily of water and ethanol, but sometimes with traces of impurities and flavorings. Traditionally, it is made by distilling the liquid from cereal grains or potatoes that have been fermented, though some modern brands, such as Ciroc, CooranBong, and Bombora, use fruits or sugar as the base.
A White Russian is a cocktail made with vodka, coffee liqueur and cream served with ice in an Old Fashioned glass. Often milk or half and half will be used as an alternative to cream.
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev was a Russian chemist and inventor. He formulated the Periodic Law, created a farsighted version of the periodic table of elements, and used it to correct the properties of some already discovered elements and also to predict the properties of eight elements yet to be discovered.
Financial institutions, otherwise known as banking institutions, are corporations that provide services as intermediaries of financial markets. Broadly speaking, there are three major types of financial institutions:
- Depository institutions – deposit-taking institutions that accept and manage deposits and make loans, including banks, building societies, credit unions, trust companies, and mortgage loan companies;
- Contractual institutions – insurance companies and pension funds
- Investment institutions – investment banks, underwriters, brokerage firms.
Smirnoff is a brand of vodka owned and produced by the British company Diageo. The Smirnoff brand began with a vodka distillery founded in Moscow by Pyotr Arsenievich Smirnov (1831–1898). It is now distributed in 130 countries and produced in several countries including Albania, Brazil, Honduras, India, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Mongolia, the Philippines, the United Kingdom and the United States. Smirnoff products include vodka, flavoured vodka, and malt beverages. In March 2006, Diageo North America claimed that Smirnoff vodka was the best-selling distilled spirit brand in the world. In 2015 India's Officer's Choice overtook Smirnoff vodka to become the world's largest selling spirit brand. In 2014, Smirnoff was chosen as the best selling vodka across the world.
Financial services are the economic services provided by the finance industry, which encompasses a broad range of businesses that manage money, including credit unions, banks, credit-card companies, insurance companies, accountancy companies, consumer-finance companies, stock brokerages, investment funds, individual managers and some government-sponsored enterprises. Financial services companies are present in all economically developed geographic locations and tend to cluster in local, national, regional and international financial centers such as London, New York City, and Tokyo.
Underwriting services are provided by some large specialist financial institutions, such as banks, insurance or investment houses, whereby they guarantee payment in case of damage or financial loss and accept the financial risk for liability arising from such guarantee. An underwriting arrangement may be created in a number of situations including insurance, issue of securities in a public offering, and in bank lending, among others.
Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited (HDFC) is an Indian financial conglomerate based in Mumbai, India. It is a major provider of finance for housing in India. It also has a presence in banking, life and general insurance, asset management, venture capital, realty, education, deposits and education loans.
Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) is an Indian state-owned insurance group and investment company headquartered in Mumbai. It is the largest insurance company in India with an estimated asset value of ₹2,529,390 crore (US$350 billion)(2016). As of 2013 it had total life fund of ₹1,433,103.14 crore and total number of policies sold coming in at ₹367.82 lakh that year (2012-13).
Russian Standard Vodka is a major Russian company producer of the premium vodka brand with the same name. The brand was founded by Roustam Tariko in 1998.
Roustam Tariko is the founder of Russian Standard Vodka. He also founded Russian Standard Bank, a credit card operation and a term life insurer in Russia. In 2009, Tariko's net worth was estimated at $1.1 billion.
Kotak Mahindra Bank is an Indian private sector bank headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. In February 2003, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) issued the licence to Kotak Mahindra Finance Ltd., the group's flagship company, to carry on banking business.
Trump Vodka was an American brand of vodka produced by Drinks Americas under license from The Trump Organization. The brand was launched in the United States in 2005, but ceased production under the Trump name in 2011 when it failed to meet the required threshold for distribution. However, it is still sold in Israel, especially around the Jewish holiday of Passover.
Sberbank CIB is a multinational investment banking and asset management firm headquartered in Moscow, Russia, and a subsidiary of Sberbank. It was founded in Moscow in 1991, and was formerly known as Troika Dialog.
Australia's insurance market can be divided into roughly three components: life insurance, general insurance and health insurance. These markets are fairly distinct, with most larger insurers focusing on only one type, although in recent times several of these companies have broadened their scope into more general financial services, and have faced competition from banks and subsidiaries of foreign financial conglomerates. With services such as disability insurance, income protection and even funeral insurance, these insurance giants are stepping in to fill the gap where people may have otherwise been in need of a personal or signature loan from their financial institution.
Allianz SE is a European financial services company headquartered in Munich, Germany. Its core businesses are insurance and asset management. As of 2014, it is the world's largest insurance company, the largest financial services group and the largest company according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine, as well as the largest financial services company when measured by 2013 revenue. The company is a component of the Euro Stoxx 50 stock market index.
Tata AIG General Insurance Company Limited is an Indian general insurance company and a joint venture between the Tata Group and American International Group (AIG). Tata Group holds a 51 percent stake in the insurance venture with AIG holding the balance of 49 percent.
Stolichnaya is a vodka made of wheat and rye grain. A well-known Soviet brand, the ownership of Stolichnaya is disputed since the dissolution of the Soviet Union between Russian state-owned company FKP Soyuzplodimport and SPI Group, a private company founded and owned by Russian billionaire Yuri Shefler.
