By Andrei Skvarsky. Morgan Stanley is parting company with the two top managers of its Russian office, chairman Rair Simonyan and president Elena Titova. Media reports have expressed a surmise that both may join Russian oil major Rosneft. Reuters cited Russian media as saying Titova, who spent around 12 years at Goldman Sachs before joining… Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Russia
EXCLUSIVE: Merrill’s Korishchenko to become CEO of Russia’s Investbank
By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s Investbank has confirmed that it is handing its job of chief executive to Konstantin Korishchenko, who is quitting as Merrill Lynch’s head for Russia. An Investbank spokeswoman told EmergingMarkets.me that Korishchenko’s candidacy had been approved by the supervisory board of the Moscow-based firm but that the appointment procedure would take a… Continue Reading
ING names head of commercial banking in Russia
By Andrei Skvarsky. The Netherlands’ ING Group has appointed its veteran Luc Truyens as head of commercial banking in Russia. Truyens, who takes up his duties on September 3, joined Banque Bruxelles Lambert (BBL) 29 years ago and has stayed at ING since the latter took over the Brussels-headquartered bank in 1998. “With the arrival… Continue Reading
Troika Dialog hires ex-VTB banker to run intl fixed income sales
By Andrei Skvarsky. Troika Dialog has hired Dean Tyler from VTB Capital as head of international fixed income sales. The recruitment of Tyler, who took up his duties this month and is based in Troika’s London office, is part of the Moscow-based brokerage’s current integration with Sberbank that aims to give Russia’s biggest lender a… Continue Reading
GOLDMAN SACHS COMMENT – Russia: The only G20 economy that needs to slow down
By Clemens Grafe, Chief Economist, Goldman Sachs Russia. (Excerpt) Russia’s economy continues to be out of synch with much of the rest of the world: GDP growth has held up at an above-trend pace despite a slowing global economy. That said, we estimate that the output gap has now closed and that the economy will… Continue Reading
EXCLUSIVE: New investment fund going after Russian agriculture’s untapped potential
By Andrei Skvarsky. Three British businessmen have set up a fund to invest in agriculture in Russia and elsewhere in the CIS, turning to a largely neglected industry with vast investment opportunities. Investing in the abysmal infrastructure of Russian agriculture is the chief objective of the fund, which has an equity target of $150m and… Continue Reading
WERMUTH COMMENT: Markets are far from convinced that the Brussels agreement will work for the euro
By Dieter Wermuth, Chief Economist, Wermuth Asset Management. Other than I had expected, the June 29 agreements about the euro area banking union had impressed markets for only a short while. I think, though, that we have been witness to an irreversible quantum leap towards a stable institutional set-up for the common currency. The dangerous… Continue Reading
Ex-adviser to Russian government: “zero prospect” of Moscow being international financial centre
By Andrei Skvarsky. Tim Reucroft, a London-based consultant who has advised Russia and other emerging markets on capital market infrastructures, has said the Kremlin’s plan to turn Moscow into an international financial centre has “zero prospect” of materialising. An IFC is all about cross-border flows, and so the Russians are wrong to be focusing on… Continue Reading
RenCap beefs up global business with dozen appointments
By Andrei Skvarsky. Renaissance Capital has beefed up its operations across the globe this month with a series of senior hires and staff moves. The appointees have filled equity products, research, electronic trading and other positions at RenCap, the Moscow-headquartered investment bank said in a series of statements. They include five senior managers in the… Continue Reading
RenCap’s ranks of clients likely to swell after etrade deal
By Andrei Skvarsky. Renaissance Capital has joined the trading network of global online services provider SunGard in a move enabling the Russian investment bank to offer brokerage services to more than 2,000 asset management companies and 530 brokerages seeking access to Russian markets. SunGard clients will now be able to route trade order flows directly to Russia’s Micex-RTS… Continue Reading
RenCap says ruble’s decline no reason for anxiety
By Andrei Skvarsky. Renaissance Capital argues that this month’s 7.2% decline of the Russian ruble versus the dollar is not much to worry about. Various currencies have been going down against the dollar, and the ruble has been doing better than, for example, the Polish zloty, the Hungarian forint or the Czech koruna, which have… Continue Reading
AGC makes biggest-ever Middle East investment in Russia
By Andrei Skvarsky. AGC Equity Partners has acquired $175m interest in a major Russian generating company in what is seen as the largest-ever Middle East investment in Russia. The London-headquartered firm with a team in the Middle East is part of an international consortium that has bought a 26.43% blocking stake in Italian-controlled Enel OGK-5… Continue Reading
WERMUTH COMMENT: Putin’s challenge: falling oil prices
By Dieter Wermuth, Chief Economist, Wermuth Asset Management. As Putin has assumed office once again, dark clouds in the form of plunging oil prices and a recession in Western Europe are hanging over him. His third term as president is unlikely to benefit from a benign external environment. Investors are reminded that Russia has a… Continue Reading
GOLDMAN SACHS COMMENT: Apple, China and the Growth Markets
By Jim O’Neill, Chairman, Goldman Sachs Asset Management. This past week, I spent 3 days in the US, in New York and Chicago. The main purpose of my NY visit was to host our 2nd GSAM Growth Markets Summit, which was quite an event, with many interesting speakers, panels and a great list of clients.… Continue Reading
Renaissance promotes Merzlenko, Andrews to partners
By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s Renaissance Group has appointed two of its top bankers, Alexander Merzlenko and Nick Andrews, as partners. Merzlenko joined Renaissance Capital in 2000. In 2009, he was appointed as RenCap’s head of Russian investment banking and financing, and in 2011 given an additional role as Renaissance Group’s deputy CEO for Russia. He… Continue Reading
Investors should avoid Russia’s oil and gas sector – Wermuth
By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s oil and gas sector would be the wrong choice for an investor these days, according to Dieter Wermuth, chief economist at Wermuth Asset Management, a Russia-focused German fund manager. With global economic growth slowing down significantly, a world oil price that has quintupled since 2003 makes no sense economically and mainly… Continue Reading
Troika Dialog boosts investment banking team with two senior appointments
Troika Dialog today announces the appointments of Dirk Werner and Angelo Morganti as Managing Directors of the Investment Banking Division. Dirk Werner brings 22 years of global M&A experience to Troika Dialog. He has been a senior banker with leading international banks including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley and Lehman Brothers. At Bank… Continue Reading
Renaissance Asset Management appoints Chief Executive and Chief Investment Officers
Renaissance Asset Managers (RAM), the specialist asset manager focused on emerging Europe, Russia and Africa, has appointed Barbara Rupf Bee as CEO. Rupf Bee will lead RAM’s strategy in emerging and frontier markets, overseeing 30 investment professionals and assets under management of $2.8bn. RAM also announced that Plamen Monovski has been named President, in addition… Continue Reading
VTB Capital announces management changes in its Investment Management business
Dmitry Ivanter has been appointed as the Chairman of VTB Capital Investment Management Executive Committee. The Committee is tasked with the strategic and operational governance of VTB Capital’s Investment Management business, one of the three main arms of VTB Capital’s business. The VTB Capital Investment Management Executive Committee consists of a Chairman, Global Head of… Continue Reading
Sberbank of Russia and Troika Dialog Announce the Closure of their Deal to Create the Largest Universal Banking Institution in Russia
Sberbank of Russia and Troika Dialog announce the closure of the deal to merge the two companies. This landmark event signals the creation of the largest universal banking institution in Russia. The integration of Troika Dialog will enable Sberbank to reach a new level of client service through high-quality financial consultation and a broad choice… Continue Reading
VTB Capital announces key appointment in Fixed Income
Philip Hamilton has been appointed Head of VTB Capital’s Global Fixed Income Flow Sales Group. The Group was formed following the strategic realignment and enhancement of VTB Capital’s Global Markets Sales & Origination structure. Philip will be responsible for managing and growing VTB Capital Fixed Income flow distribution franchise with Russian and international clients. Over… Continue Reading
Troika Dialog Boosts Investment Banking Offering with New Head of FICC Division
Troika Dialog today announces the appointment of Maxim Safonov as Head of Fixed Income, Currencies and Commodities Division. Maxim will join Troika Dialog on January 10, 2012 and reports to Rob Leith, Global Head of Investment Banking and Global Markets. Maxim brings over fifteen years of experience in investment banking, specialising in Russian capital markets,… Continue Reading
VTB Capital Appoints CEO For Asia
Damian Chunilal has been appointed as CEO Asia for VTB Capital and will be based in Hong Kong and oversee the strategic development and further acceleration of the company’s expansion in financial markets across Asia. Mr. Chunilal will report to Atanas Bostandjiev, CEO, UK and International for VTB Capital. Damian Chunilal has more than 20… Continue Reading
Charlie Ryan seals his reputation as Russia's most successful banker
By Andrei Skvarsky. UFG founder Charlie Ryan has sealed his reputation as the most successful foreign banker in Russia ever by clinching a deal which nets him a fourth payout from Deutsche Bank. The American banker, who oversaw Deutsche Bank’s Russian operation from 2005 to 2010, is selling Deutsche the remaining 60% stake in UFG’s… Continue Reading
VTB to heavily benefit from Sechin’s privatisation initiative
By Andrei Skvarsky. State-owned bank VTB would benefit seriously during its planned partial privatisation from a share pricing measure proposed by Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin, Renaissance Capital analysts argue. Sechin last week proposed an amendment to the 2011-2013 privatisation programme to ensure that the starting price of a state company in any privatisation deal should not be lower… Continue Reading
RenCap boosts presence in Turkey by taking over Istanbul broker
By Andrei Skvarsky. Renaissance Capital has clinched a deal to buy out Istanbul-based brokerage Mira Menkul Degerler in building up its presence in Turkey. Burak Akbulut, who has been in charge of RenCap’s business in Turkey, has been appointed as acting chief executive of the emergent Renaissance Capital Turkey, the Russian firm said… Continue Reading
VTB Capital plots IPO route through new Hong Kong office
VTB Capital, the Russian state-controlled investment bank, is hoping to arrange “three or four” IPOs through its new Hong Office next year. The bank’s deputy chairman Yuri Soloviev said the listings would be in the energy and metals and mining sectors, according to the Hong Kong Economic Journal. The Hong Kong team will be boosted… Continue Reading
Wermuth loses second senior manager since summer
By Andrei Skvarsky. Wermuth Asset Management, a German fund manager chiefly operating from Moscow, has parted company with its chief executive Maarten van den Belt, three months after another top figure in the relatively small company quit the firm. Van den Belt, whom Wermuth hired as its CEO in July 2010, has been replaced by Michael… Continue Reading
RusRating founder and CEO Richard Hainsworth steps aside
By Andrei Skvarsky. Russian rating agency RusRating has put aside its founder and chief executive Richard Hainsworth by appointing him as company president and passing over his top managerial duties to Dmitri Yefimov from Russian business news agency AK&M. The appointment of Yefimov, who takes up the job today, “was motivated by the… Continue Reading