SOVIET BANKS AND BANKERS,

A brief description of the organization of the Soviet banking system and the functions performed by it, as well as some glimpses of the role which Soviet bankers play in the economy of the Soviet Union are presented. The history of the Soviet banking system is not reviewed since a description of the present system is likely to be of greater interest than is a recapitulation of the changes that have taken place in the almost 50 years since the 1917 advent to power of the Soviet regime. It should be noted, however, that of all the sectors of the Soviet economy the banking system, despite many reorganizations and shifts in functions, has been one of those least subject to basic changes.