Category Archives: News

Baring Vostok Capital Partners raises $1.5 billion for investment in Russia

 Equity firm Baring Vostok Capital Partners has raised the largest investment fund in Russia totaling $1.5 billion to invest in local internet projects, financial services and the resources industry. Moscow-based Baring Vostok, headed by former banker Michael Calvey, Alexey Kalinin and Elena Ivashentseva, has attracted $1.15 billion for its fifth main fund, Baring Vostok Private… Continue Reading

BrokerCreditService makes one more hire from Otkritie

By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s BrokerCreditService (BCS) has hired Olga Naydenova from Otkritie as senior financial research analyst in Moscow, recruiting one more in a series of bankers and analysts who have come over from the rival Russian broker over the past several months. Naydenova took up her BCS job today, Luis Saenz, the London-based head… Continue Reading

Raiffeisen, Sberbank co-run Eurasian Development Bank’s Eurobond sale

By Andrei Skvarsky.  Raiffeisen Bank International AG and Sberbank CIB, a former unit of Troika Dialog, co-managed the recent successful sale of the Russian ruble-denominated Eurobonds by Eurasian Development Bank (EDB), an international institution set up by the governments of Russia and Kazakhstan. The five-year securities with maximum 8% yields made up what was the first-ever… Continue Reading

Sberbank hires ex-Merrill banker in boosting investment team

By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank CIB, a former Troika Dialog division, has hired Vlada Gosal from Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML) as managing director for debt capital markets in building out an investment banking platform for parent firm Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender. Gosal took up her new role on Monday, according to a statement from Troika,… Continue Reading

BlackRock buys stake in Micex-RTS with RDIF support

By Andrei Skvarsky. Funds run by BlackRock, the world’s biggest asset manager, have bought an undisclosed number of shares in Moscow’s Micex-RTS exchange with support from the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), a sovereign co-investment fund whose task is to attract foreign private equity to Russia. The sale of the stake to funds managed by… Continue Reading

Deutsche Bank replaces head of Russian unit

Deutsche Bank has appointed Pavel Teplukhin, a co-founder of Russian brokerage Troika Dialog, as chief executive of the Russian unit of Germany’s largest lender. Teplukhin takes up his new role on October 1, according to Reuters. He replaces Igor Lojevsky, whose contract has expired. Continue Reading

EXCLUSIVE: Russia’s BCS beefs up research team with new hire

By Andrei Skvarsky. BrokerCreditService (BCS), a Russian firm pressing for leading positions in Russia’s financial markets, has made one more in a recent series of major hires, recruiting Vladimir (Vlad) Kuznetsov from UniCredit as a senior consumer analyst, Luis Saenz, head of equity sales and trading at BCS, told EmergingMarkets.me. Kuznetsov joined UniCredit’s Russian operation… Continue Reading

Troika Dialog has one more unit renamed in merging with Sberbank

Russia’s Troika Dialog has had one more division renamed as part of its current merger with Sberbank, with Investment Company Troika Dialog changing its name to Sberbank CIB. The renaming is “one of the final stages” of Troika Dialog’s integration with Russia’s biggest lender, a project aiming to give the latter a foothold in the… Continue Reading

RDIF: pension money good source of Russian stock market liquidity

By Andrei Skvarsky. The chief executive of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, has suggested issuing infrastructure bonds, setting up index funds and investing much of the pension system’s money as key ways of boosting the liquidity of Russia’s stock market. Infrastructure bonds “could be used to finance development of the Far East… Continue Reading

Micex-RTS likely to stay shut from Dec 29 to Jan 7

Micex-RTS top brass have recommended that Moscow’s stock exchange stay closed for 10 days from December 29 to January 7, a period practically coinciding with Russia’s national non-working season. However, as a general principle, the top management recommended keeping trade going at Micex-RTS on Russian public non-working days if they make up more than one… Continue Reading

RenCap makes two promotions in Africa equity products team

By Andrei Skvarsky.  Renaissance Capital has announced two promotions in its Africa-focused equity products group, with Ali Khalpey being appointed as head of South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa equities and Stanley Kariuki as head of equities for Kenya. Khalpey, who joined Renaissance in January 2010 and is based in Johannesburg, was head of equities for… Continue Reading

Russian banks short of business developers, CIB senior managers

By Andrei Skvarsky. Professionals who can fill positions of business development director and corporate and investment banking senior manager are some of those that Russian banks have the highest demand for, according to international recruitment company Antal. There are shortages of managers in various sectors of Russia’s economy, according to a statement from the headhunter.… Continue Reading

Russian Central Bank to sell part of stake in Sberbank

By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s Central Bank plans to sell off some of its shares in Sberbank, a move that would still leave the overseer of Russia’s monetary system in control of the country’s biggest lender. Up to 1,712,994,999 ordinary shares, which make up 7.58% of Sberbank’s capital, would go on sale, according to a statement from… Continue Reading

Otkritie hires Micex-RTS chief Aganbegyan as CEO

By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s Otkritie Financial Corp has hired Ruben Aganbegyan, who is stepping down as president of Moscow’s Micex-RTS stock exchange, as its chief executive. An Otkritie spokeswoman confirmed the appointment to EmergingMarkets.me. Aganbegyan replaces Vadim Belyaev, who will become president of Nomos-Bank, a Moscow institution being taken over by Otkritie in a deal… Continue Reading

BCS Bank appoints Emil Yusupov as CEO

By Andrei Skvarsky. BCS (BrokerCreditService), the Moscow-based investment banking group, has promoted head of retail Emil Yusupov to the role of chief executive of BCS Bank, its lender unit. Yusupov held senior jobs at Russia’s Absolut Bank, state-owned insurer Rosgosstrakh and UralSib group before joining BCS in March 2011. Continue Reading

Micex-RTS president Aganbegyan quitting

By Andrei Skvarsky. Moscow’s Micex-RTS stock exchange is parting company with its president, Ruben Aganbegyan, who carried through a merger project that brought today’s main Russian bourse into being last year. A Micex-RTS statement said Aganbegyan, who pulled off the merger of Moscow’s Micex and RTS exchanges, is resigning with effect from September 25 and… Continue Reading

Russia’s UralSib Bank names Ilkka Salonen as CEO

By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s UralSib Bank has named Ilkka Salonen, formerly a deputy chairman of Sberbank and a senior figure at Renaissance Group, as its chief executive. In his new role, Salonen, who was hired from Helsinki-headquartered investment bank Septem Partners, will replace Ildar Muslimov, who has been dismissed by the bank’s supervisory board, according… Continue Reading

RenCap tops LSE International Order Book

By Andrei Skvarsky. Renaissance Capital has topped the London Stock Exchange’s International Order Book ranking for August, increasing its market share to around 10% for the period. RenCap attributes much of this success to its investment in electronic trading and prime brokerage services. “This accomplishment demonstrates the strength of the firm as we continue to… Continue Reading

Otkritie Bank assigned long-term B rating by Fitch

By Andrei Skvarsky. Otkritie Bank, part of Otkritie Financial Corp, last week received a long-term B rating from Fitch with a Rating Watch Positive outlook in what the Moscow-based corporation sees as good going for a lender just two years old. B (‘financial situation varies noticeably’) is the second-highest tier in Fitch’s Non-Investment Grade. Otkritie… Continue Reading

Troika Dialog’s brokerage renamed SIB Financial Broker

Troika Dialog’s brokerage unit, Financial Broker Troika Dialog, has changed its name to SIB Financial Broker. The renaming of this and other divisions of Troika is part of the ongoing merger between the Moscow-headquartered investment firm and Sberbank designed to give Russia’s biggest lender an investment banking platform. The broker’s change of name will not… Continue Reading