The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has participated in a bond issuance by Kazakhstan’s national railway company, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ). The Bank participated in the longer-term tranche of the Eurobond. Continue Reading
Tag Archives: Russia
EBRD AND FAO PROMOTE VIABLE FORESTS IN RUSSIA’S FAR EAST
Russia’s Far East occupies one-third of the country’s territory and accounts for more than nine percent of the world’s forests. Forestry there thus plays a crucial role, locally and further afield, supplying livelihoods for millions of people and a valuable habitat for flora and fauna, including the endangered Amur tiger. Continue Reading
Ulmart enters the travel market
Perhaps inspired by the success of Ozon Travel, Ulmart, Russia’s leading online retailer, has officially announced its entry into a new field of activity: Ulmart Travel. Continue Reading
Russian analog of Blue Apron raises venture investment from Moscow players
Source – marchmontnews.com Moscow Seed Fund, an institutional early-stage investor, and AddVenture, another Russian VC fund supporting Internet projects, are investing $347,000 in Chefmarket, an innovative Russian hybrid of a grocery store and a restaurant, the RVC web-site reported. Continue Reading
The Funds of KCM’s group invest in Chaplin Cinemas network
ADM Capital’s funds, KCRF and KGF, members of a group of funds with the participation of Kazyna Capital Management JSC (owned by National Management Holding “Baiterek” JSC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) announce completion of the acquisition of the controlling stake in Chaplin Cinemas network. Investments of the Funds will be… Continue Reading
Bank of Moscow ex-chief's prosecutions: the trail continues…
By Andrei Skvarsky. Bank of Moscow’s emigre ex-chief executive Andrei Borodin has been slapped with a new charge in Russia, being accused in absentia of defrauding the lender of 1bn rubles ($29m at today’s exchange rate) through an alleged forex scam, according to Moscow-based daily Kommersant. Continue Reading
Russians in the City London Club opens its branch in Moscow
Russians in the City Club in London is A Russian-speaking professional community that unites more than 2000 members who are working in the financial and legal services industries. Now the Club has opened its branch in Moscow. Continue Reading
Russian central bank partially sells out of Moscow Exchange
By Andrei Skvarsky Russia’s central bank has sold an 11% stake in Moscow Exchange in partially fulfilling its obligation to divest all its interest in the bourse by January 1, 2016. Continue Reading
Three years after NASDAQ IPO, Yandex introduced on Moscow Exchange
Trading of Yandex shares on Moscow Exchange started yesterday in Russian rubles under symbol “YNDX”. Shares also continue to trade on the NASDAQ Global Select Market, where the search company was introduced in 2011. Continue Reading
Local search service Yell.ru secures $11 million from Swedish funds to measure itself against Yandex
Last week, Russian online local-search service Yell.ru announced that it has secured $11 million, which includes $8 million from Vostok Nafta and $3 million from current investor AB Kinnevik. Continue Reading
Deutsche Boerse’s MNI: Russian companies a bit more upbeat
By Andrei Skvarsky. A Deutsche Boerse-owned research firm argues that in June Russian companies have been slightly more optimistic about Russia’s business environment than in May. Continue Reading
Russia’s VC market shrank in 1Q 2014, RMG and EWDN analysts found
Rye, Man & Gor Securities, a Russian investment firm, and East-West Digital News, an international resource on Russia’s IT, have issued a report on the status and trends of Russia’s venture market in 1Q 2014. Continue Reading
Russian-American startup iBuildApp raises another $200,000
Mobile app builder iBuildApp has raised $200,000 from Starta Capital and Nikolay Belykh. iBuildApp is an international project that enables clients to build and manage mobile apps. As well as being a resident of Moscow’s Skolkovo IT-Park, the project also has its headquarters in Foster City, California. Continue Reading
Ex-finance minister Kudrin becomes head of Moscow Exchange supervisory board
By Andrei Skvarsky. Former Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has been appointed as chairman of the new supervisory board of Moscow Exchange that was elected at the bourse’s annual general shareholders’ meeting on June 26. Continue Reading
VTB Capital participated in the placement of CNH 1 billion Offshore Renminbi Bonds for Beijing Capital Company Limited
VTB Capital has been mandated as a joint bookrunner and joint lead manager on the placement of CNH 1 billion offshore renminbi bonds in the Reg-S format for Beijing Capital Company Limited, to be listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and priced with a coupon of 4.7% and a three-year maturity. Continue Reading
Russia’s Renaissance Capital hosts annual investor forum
By Andrei Skvarsky. Renaissance Capital, one of Russia’s leading privately owned investment banks, has hosted an annual investor conference in Moscow, a three-day event that opened on June 23 and was expected to bring together more than 200 attendees with assets under management totalling more than $3trn. Continue Reading
Russia's Sberbank CIB co-arranges $250m loan for Kaspersky Lab
By Andrei Skvarky. Sberbank has lent $250m to Russian security software developer Kaspersky Lab, with the biggest Russia lender’s investment arm, Sberbank CIB, being one of the lead arrangers of what is a syndicated loan. Continue Reading
EXCLUSIVE: Russia’s Alfa Bank parts company with COO Denis Soloviev
By Andrei Skvarsky. Denis Soloviev has resigned as chief operating officer of the corporate and investment division of Alfa Bank, one of Russia’s largest privately owned lenders. Continue Reading
Deutsche Boerse’s MNI: Russians getting worse off, gloomy about economy
By Andrei Skvarsky. The latest of monthly surveys by a Deutsche Boerse-owned think tank suggests the average Russian is increasingly worse off, is worried about their current and future finances and has gloomy outlooks for Russia’slabour market and economy in general as recession and possible further western sanctions loom large. Continue Reading
Sberbank wants apologies from Ukraine’s top prosecutor
By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank chief executive Herman Gref has asked Ukraine’s chief prosecutor to apologise for “groundless” allegations that Russia’s biggest lender has been financing pro-Russian separatists who are fighting government troops in eastern Ukraine. Continue Reading
RenCap hiring for new Dubai office
By Andrei Skvarsky. Renaissance Capital has made three hires for a new office that the Russian investment bank is due to open in Dubai later this summer, and plans more recruitments for it. Continue Reading
Deutsche Boerse analysts: For Russian companies, it's not really business as usual
By Andrei Skvarsky. A survey by Deutsche Boerse-owned data provider MNI suggests that the majority of Russian companies are increasingly unhappy with the state of their business because of western sanctions against Russia, and that the overall sentiment became predominantly pessimistic in May. Continue Reading
Sberbank hires ING researcher as FX and rates chief strategist
By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank has hired Tom Levinson from ING as chief strategist for foreign exchange and rates at Sberbank CIB, the investment arm of Russia’s number-one lender. Continue Reading
Sberbank, Abu Dhabi’s Invest AD clinch “strategic” deal
By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s biggest lender Sberbank and Abu Dhabi’s state-owned Invest AD investment management firm have signed a preliminary deal on “strategic” cooperation in asset management in Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States, and the Middle East, Sberbank said. Continue Reading
Russia’s Mosoblbank “most likely” had unit for cooking the books
By Andrei Skvarsky. Mosoblbank, Russia’s 83rd largest bank by assets, “most likely” had a division whose job was to cook the books in a bid to bypass regulatory restrictions slapped on the distressed lender with the aim of stopping it from going to the wall, a central bank deputy governor said. Continue Reading
Streaming music startup Bloom.fm shuts down after Russia investor pulls out
As reported by Guardian, streaming music service Bloom.fm, app with more than 1.1m registered users in the UK alone, has shut down after its main investor pulled out suddenly. Continue Reading
Sanctioned Bank Rossiya parts with $362m as clients withdraw forex
By Andrei Skvarsky. Client accounts at Bank Rossiya have plunged by a total of 12.6bn rubles ($362m) since the end of March as customers have been withdrawing foreign currency from the St Petersburg-based lender after the United States imposed sanctions on it. {{{?}}} Bank Rossiya limited its business to ruble transactions after the U.S. government… Continue Reading
Russia-Ukraine crisis threatens recovery in the EBRD region
The crisis in Russia and Ukraine is having a severe impact on the economies of the two countries and is threatening to slow down the recovery in the wider EBRD region – or even bring it to a complete halt. {{{?}}} The EBRD’s latest economic report predicts growth in the transition region of just 1.4 per cent in 2014,… Continue Reading
Sberbank CIB to take part in St Petersburg International Economic Forum
Sberbank CIB bankers will take part in the annual St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) this month as part of a delegation from its parent firm Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender. {{{?}}} “Sustaining Confidence in a World Undergoing Transformation” is the theme of the XVIII SPIEF, to be held in St Petersburg on May 22-24 and… Continue Reading