Editing Riga (section)

== Economy ==
Riga is one of the key economic and financial centres of the [[Baltic states]]. Roughly half of all the jobs in Latvia are in Riga and the city generates more than 50% of Latvia's GDP as well as around half of Latvia's exports. The biggest exporters are in wood products, IT, food and beverage manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, transport and metallurgy.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bizness.lv/prognozes-rezultati/id/10476/nosaukti-desmit-lielakie-eksportejosie-uznemumi-riga-un-rigas-regiona |title=/ Uzņēmējdarbība / Nosaukti desmit lielākie eksportējošie uzņēmumi Rīgā un Rīgas reģionā |publisher=Bizness.lv |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=29 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160629235358/http://www.bizness.lv/prognozes-rezultati/id/10476/nosaukti-desmit-lielakie-eksportejosie-uznemumi-riga-un-rigas-regiona |url-status=live }}</ref> Riga Port is one of the largest in the Baltics. It handled a record 34&nbsp;million tons of cargo in 2011<ref>{{cite magazine |author=Alla Petrova |url=http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/good_for_business/?doc=51449 |title=Riga Freeport handles record-breaking 34.07 mln tons of cargo in 2011 |magazine=The Baltic Course |date=17 October 2012 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=13 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913231508/http://www.baltic-course.com/eng/good_for_business/?doc=51449 |url-status=live }}</ref> and has potential for future growth with new port developments on Krievu Sala.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.marketresearch.com/Business-Monitor-International-v304/Latvia-Shipping-Q3-7069192/ |title=Latvia Shipping Report Q3 2012 by Business Monitor International in Latvia, Ports & Harbors, Logistics & Shipping |publisher=Marketresearch.com |date=17 July 2012 |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=4 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131004213723/http://www.marketresearch.com/Business-Monitor-International-v304/Latvia-Shipping-Q3-7069192/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Tourism is also a large industry in Riga and after a slowdown during the [[Great Recession|global economic recessions of the late 2000s]], grew 22% in 2011 alone.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nra.lv/izklaide/turisms/67049-turistu-skaits-latvija-pern-pieaudzis-par-21-riga-par-22.htm |title=Tūristu skaits Latvijā pērn pieaudzis par 21%, Rīgā – par 22% – Izklaide |publisher=nra.lv |access-date=12 March 2013 |archive-date=13 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913232136/http://nra.lv/izklaide/turisms/67049-turistu-skaits-latvija-pern-pieaudzis-par-21-riga-par-22.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Riga was intended to become the global financial centre in the former Soviet Union. [[Parex|One bank]], which provided high levels of secrecy for its customers, promoted itself as "We are closer than Switzerland!" ({{langx|ru|link=no|«Мы ближе, чем Швейцария!»}}).<ref>{{cite news |last=Caruana Galizia |first=Paul |url=https://members.tortoisemedia.com/2019/06/01/martins-bunkus/content.html |title=Dirty money, bloody murder |language=en |date=1 June 2019 |access-date=27 November 2020 |archive-date=16 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200616073645/https://members.tortoisemedia.com/2019/06/01/martins-bunkus/content.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.compromat.ru/page_40559.htm |title=Кровь на счетах: Как связаны "латвийская прачечная" и расстрел адвоката, мешавшего банку ABLV Эрнеста Берниса и Олега Филя самоликвидироваться |trans-title=Blood on the bills: How are the "Latvian laundry" and the shooting of the lawyer who prevented the ABLV bank Ernest Bernis and Oleg Filya from self-liquidation? |language=ru |work=www.compromat.ru |date=10 July 2019 |access-date=27 November 2020 |archive-date=29 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129110654/http://www.compromat.ru/page_40559.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=PalmerTestimony>{{cite web |last=Palmer |first=Richard L. |url=https://archives-financialservices.house.gov/banking/92199pal.shtml |title=Statement of Richard L. Palmer, president of Cachet International, Inc. on the Infiltration of the Western Financial System by Elements of Russian Organized Crime before the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services |work=[[United States House of Representatives|House]] Committee on Banking and Financial Services |date=September 21, 1999 |access-date=December 7, 2020 |archive-date=July 29, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190729221747/https://archives-financialservices.house.gov/banking/92199pal.shtml}}</ref>{{efn|Richard L. Palmer, president of Cachet International, Inc., was the [[CIA]] [[station chief]] at the [[Embassy of the United States, Moscow|United States Embassy in Moscow]] from 1992 to 1994.<ref name=PalmerTestimony/><ref>{{cite news |last=Foer |first=Franklin |author-link=Franklin Foer |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/how-kleptocracy-came-to-america/580471/ |title=Russian-Style Kleptocracy Is Infiltrating America: When the U.S.S.R. collapsed, Washington bet on the global spread of democratic capitalist values—and lost. |work=[[The Atlantic]] |date=March 1, 2019 |access-date=December 7, 2020 |archive-date=8 December 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201208004338/https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2019/03/how-kleptocracy-came-to-america/580471/}}</ref>}} On 28 July 1995, twenty Latvian banks with assistance of persons from the [[Paris Stock Exchange]] organised the [[Riga Stock Exchange]] which was the first Latvian stock exchange in Riga.<ref>{{cite news|last=Семенов|first=Александр (Cememov, Alexander)|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/114428|title=В Латвии создана фондовая биржа. Латвийские банки организовали себе фондовую биржу: В Риге состоялось торжественное открытие Рижской фондовой биржи, на котором присутствовало около 200 представителей финансового мира Балтии, а также стран Западной и Восточной Европы. Учредителями биржи стали 20 латвийских банков.|trans-title=Stock exchange established in Latvia. Latvian banks have organized a stock exchange for themselves: The grand opening of the Riga Stock Exchange took place in Riga, which was attended by about 200 representatives of the Baltic financial world, as well as Western and Eastern European countries. The founders of the exchange were 20 Latvian banks.|language=ru|work=[[Kommersant]]|date=28 July 1995|access-date=15 December 2020|archive-date=16 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216044149/https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/114428}}</ref>

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File:Bank of Latvia 01.jpg|Bank of Latvia
File:Riga stock exchange.jpg|Riga Stock Exchange early 20th century. Now the Art Museum Riga Bourse.
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