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
Category Archives: Deals
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
Russian IP video surveillance software company signs $15 million contract in Bahrain
Macroscop, a Russian startup developing software for IP videocameras, signed earlier this month one of its first international contracts with Bahrain’s MHS-Technologies. Continue Reading
EBRD BECOMES KEY INVESTOR IN ROMANIA’S ELECTRICA
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has invested over RON 320 million (equivalent to €75 million) for an 8.6 per cent stake in Romania’s electricity distribution company S.C. Electrica S.A., as the firm moves towards privatisation in the country’s largest-ever IPO. Continue Reading
EBRD FINANCES MAJOR BIOGAS PROJECT IN UKRAINE
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is organising a financing programme of up to €7.1 million to construct and bring into operation a 2.25 MW biogas plant, adjacent to Rokytne sugar mill in the Kiev region. The plant, which will be the largest facility of this type in the country, will generate electricity… 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
Middle East Investors Expected To Spend Us$180 Billion In Global Real Estate Markets Over Next Decad
Middle Eastern investors are expected to spend US$180 billion in commercial real estate markets outside of their own region over the next decade, according to the latest research from global property advisor CBRE. Continue Reading
ADB $300 Million Loan to Continue Power Upgrades in India’s Assam State
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $300 million loan to help India’s northeastern Assam state continue its drive to eliminate power sector inefficiencies that are hurting its consumers, its world-famous tea industry, and its environment. Continue Reading
EBRD Invests in Poland's Altus TFI
The EBRD plans to invest up to PLN 50 million (€12 million equivalent) in the forthcoming IPO of Altus TFI S.A. on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. Altus is a privately held mutual fund and asset management company in Poland with more than PLN 5 billion of assets under management across 36 funds. 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
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 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
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
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
Qiwi top executives make $30m and entrepreneurial experience available to Russian start-ups
In late April Andrei Romanenko, a top executive at Russian payment giant Qiwi, announced the launch of Run Capital, a venture fund targeting Russian tech start-ups at the pre-seed and seed stages. {{{?}}} The $30m fund will able to provide young Russian entrepreneurs with much more than just financial support, East-West Digital News, the first… Continue Reading
EBRD steps up lending to Ukraine as part of international support package
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is significantly increasing its public sector lending in Ukraine as it joins in the response of the international community to support the Ukrainian economy. {{{?}}} In a project financed together with the European Investment Bank, the EBRD is providing a €200 million loan to finance the modernisation… Continue Reading
Sberbank CIB opens second RUB 6.8 bln line of credit for INTECO Group
{{{?}}} Sberbank CIB1 has signed an agreement with INTECO Group on the financing of construction of the 146,000 sq. m “Liner – Zapad” Multifunctional Complex in the Khodynskoe Polye neighbourhood. This line of credit totals RUB 6.8 bln. The agreement was signed for a period of 4.5 years. On behalf of Sberbank CIB this deal was structured… Continue Reading
EBRD channels $40 million to support Ukrainian grain farmers
{{{?}}} The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is once again demonstrating its commitment to Ukraine’s agribusiness sector, which received over €160 million from the Bank in 2013 alone. The EBRD is providing a loan of up to US$ 40 million to over 30 farms and elevators across Ukraine owned by NCH New Europe… Continue Reading
Sberbank CIB’s 2013 trade finance, documentary deals worth $43.5bn
By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank CIB, the investment arm of Russia’s biggest lender Sberbank, has announced it carried through “record” numbers of trade finance and documentary operations in 2013, putting the total volume of the deals at $43.5bn. {{{?}}} The investment firm said in a statement its documentary operations topped the $33bn mark last year, with… Continue Reading
VTB Capital raises $95.2m by selling stake in IT firm on NYSE
By Andrei Skvarsky. Russia’s VTB Capital has raised $95.2m by selling its stake in Russian software development and IT outsourcing company Luxoft in a secondary public offering (SPO) on the New York Stock Exchange in which the Moscow-based bank was one of the bookrunners. {{{?}}} The offering was more than three times oversubscribed and attracted… Continue Reading
Deutsche Bank selling Russian subsidiary to Aton
By Andrei Skvarsky. Deutsche Bank has agreed to sell its Russian subsidiary Deutsche UFG Capital Management (DUCM) to Russian investment group Aton in what would purportedly make the latter one of Russia’s biggest asset managers. {{{?}}} The deal, which needs approval from Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service, would make Aton the 100% owner of DUCM, an… Continue Reading
NASDAQ, Moscow Exchange sign deal to help Russian start-ups
By Andrei Skvarsky. NASDAQ and Moscow Exchange have clinched a deal to join forces in helping Russian high-tech start-ups to get listed on the two bourses. {{{?}}} The two exchanges are to co-organise conferences, workshops and presentations for innovative companies and international investors under the agreement, the Moscow bourse said in a statement. The deal… Continue Reading
Russia’s Nomos bank carries out successful SPO on Moscow Exchange
By Andrei Skvarsky. The Nomos banking group, one of Russia’s largest private lenders, carried through a successful secondary public offering of shares on Moscow Exchange last week, raising 19.08bn rubles ($600m) by selling all the securities it offered. {{{?}}} Gazprombank and Otkritie Capital co-organised the SPO. Demand exceeded supply, with Nomos giving priority to major… Continue Reading
London’s Oracle Capital takes control of Moscow’s Third Rome
By Andrei Skvarsky. Oracle Capital Group, a global multi-family office and wealth consultancy, has bought a blocking stake in Third Rome, a Moscow-based wealth manager. {{{?}}} “Third Rome will continue to operate under the Third Rome Group name and brand as a self-managed group of companies. In cooperation with Oracle Capital Group, Third Rome will… Continue Reading
Sberbank increases majority stake in venture with BNP Paribas
By Andrei Skvarsky. Sberbank, Russia’s biggest lender, has enlarged to 74% from 70% its stake in Cetelem Bank, its Russian retail joint venture with BNP Paribas. The increase marks the closure of a deal between Sberbank and BNP Paribas Personal Finance, the French bank’s retail unit, announced in July. Sberbank is currently transferring its car… Continue Reading
Japan govt lending Sberbank $600m to pay for imports
By Andrei Skvarsky. Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), is to provide Sberbank, Russia’s top lender, with a series of long-term loans to a total of $600m to finance Russian imports of goods and services from Japan under an agreement signed last week. “We have been working with JBIC for a few years already and… Continue Reading