Net Worth: $136 million

Age: 47

Marital status: Married, two sons

Last year: $570 million

Industry: Construction, insurance

In February 2009, the construction company TMM managed to get a loan of Hr 310 million. This deal wouldn’t have been a surprise a year ago. But in the crisis period, when ba nks have become greedy, such generosity should be seen as a result of the high confidence factor of Nikolai Tolmachev. The businessman declined to tell Korrespondent which bank gave him the money to complete construction projects. Confidentiality is one condition of the loan. “Entrepreneurs would be lining up outside the bank tomorrow looking for credit,” Tolmachev explained. “There is almost no one who doesn’t need additional financing at the moment.” In order to survive on the almost dead construction market, the Kyiv-based businessman had to turn to barter schemes. “We are exchanging property for building materials. That accounts for almost half of our turnover,” Tolmachev told Korrespondent about his ordeal. “People didn’t believe that the times of barter were returning. But they have returned, whether you believe it or not.”