By Andrei Skvarsky
South Africa’s Standard Bank may acquire a controlling stake in Moscow investment bank Troika Dialog within the next year and a half, according to a report in RBC Daily today.
Having bought a blocking stake of 36.4% in Troika Dialog last year, Standard Bank is in talks with Troika to buy another 15% stake it needs to take control of the Russian company, the newspaper said, citing an anonymous source close to Troika’s management. Such a deal may be clinched “within the next year and a half,” the source said.
The chairman of Troika’s board of directors, Ruben Vardanian, and several leading staff at the bank have consistently denied the possibility of the group selling a controlling stake to any foreign company.
