Europe’s financial crisis isn’t bad news for everyone. Russia’s largest bank, Sberbank, is poised to take advantage of the instability, a senior executive says.

For euro-zone banks in Russia, “it’s becoming quite difficult for them to lend,” said Todd Berman, the new head of investment banking at Troika Dialog, which last year announced a merger with Sberbank. “Because a lot of the international banks are pulling back, it is an opportunity.”

It’s not just new chances to loan to Russian clients. Sberbank and Troika are eyeing moves into neighboring European countries.

“The goal is to become the leading bank in emerging Europe,” he said. “Either you grow organically or you acquire.”

There are plenty of potential acquisition targets. Banks across Europe, desperate to drum up capital, are trying to sell businesses in countries like Turkey and Poland. Sberbank — which boasts big presences in Russia and former Soviet countries but lacks heft in some other parts of Eastern Europe — has been getting lots of calls from the sellers, Mr. Berman said.

“Anybody who wants to sell a bank comes to us,” he said. “It’s kind of a buyer’s market for banking assets.”

But he added that there’s no guarantee Sberbank will make a splashy acquisition anytime soon. “We’re being disciplined” and won’t necessarily buy anything, Mr. Berman said.

The Wall Street Journal