V.V. Putin’s opening address
Good afternoon esteemed colleagues.
Let’s remember once again about what we spoke in our report at the State Duma. As you know we spoke about large-scale development programs in the regions, various production sectors, the housing market, the industrial sector, infrastructure, modernization and launching of large-scale projects.
It’s quite evident that Vnesheconombank is supposed to play a key role in implementing all these plans acting as our leading development institution and consulting center and using its credit resources.
We also expect Russia’s Export Credit and Investment Insurance Agency to work effectively. I’d like to remind you that this Agency is being established in the form of a joint stock company with Vnesheconombank’s 100-percent participation. This new agency is designed to assist our exporters in tapping international markets and we should above all support exporters that operate in innovation sectors. The Government considered, prepared and submitted appropriate amendments to legislation to the State Duma.
At the same time, we have to address all organizational issues associated with the operation of the Russian Export Credit and Investment Insurance Agency and prepare a definitive strategy of its activity.
We have also to create additional instruments to raise capital for the Russian economy. It is for this purpose a Russian Fund of Direct Investments is being set up. We should discuss today an issue of establishing a special managing company for this Fund. The Fund will be responsible for raising foreign long-term investments for the Russian economy intended above all for such high-technology sectors (here I mean innovation projects) as power engineering, oil sector, space exploration, pharmaceutics and etc. The Fund’s managing company with a charter capital of 300 million rubles is to be founded by Vnesheconombank. And in its operation the Fund will be able to rely on Vnesheconombank’s financial and expert potential. In my opinion, this approach is bound to establish the Fund’s credibility with the international investment community and create favorable conditions for its start and further operation.
Besides these systems issues, we’ll also discuss a number of other purely production issues and among them I’d like to single out the one of a credit line worth 39 billion rubles intended for creating a joint venture between Ford and our Russian company Sollers that has been operating in the automotive industry for several years. This is a young company but it has been operating for several years and has shown itself to a good advantage. At our request, the company is expanding its production including as we know in the Far East.
I believe that the project in point is a very interesting, much needed initiative. The partnership between Russia’s company Sollers and Ford would make it possible to attract new technologies, significantly increase production facilities of the companies already operating successfully in various regions of the Russian Federation, for example in Tatarstan (the city of Elabuga) and in the Leningrad region. The credit resources we are to make available today will be used to increase production localization. This is fully in line with requirements the Russian Government formulates for our foreign partners. The money is to be used to set up the production of component base on the territory of our country. Suffice it to say that in the future the level of localization at Ford-Sollers joint venture is supposed to reach 60%.
The launch of such a large-scale project is especially important today against the backdrop of the Russian auto market growth. In the first quarter of this year the output of cars in our country increased by 2.2 times. And I’d also like to remind you that we made a decision to additionally fund the car utilization program. All these factors form a good basis for the launch of this new large-scale project.
Let’s get down to work.
Origin: Internet Portal of the Government of the Russian Federation
On Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board Decisions
VEB to start funding the construction of the Olympic Village
Novo-Ogarevo. April 22. INTERFAX – Vnesheconombank is to provide credit resources to fund the construction of the Olympic Village in Sochi, said Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev.
He reminded journalists on Friday that a credit line worth about 2 billion rubles to fund this project had already been opened. The funds are intended for performing pre-project work.
“Besides the money we have already provided under the last year’s decision the total amount is 15.5 billion rubles and at our today’s Supervisory Board meeting we made a decision to allocate 3 billion rubles so that we could start full-scale financing after agreeing upon security documents”, said V. Dmitriev after Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board meeting on Friday.
According to him the credit is to be extended at a refinancing rate of plus 0.4-1.4%.
Total budget of Ford-Sollers JV project to amount to 75 billion rubles. VEB to allocate 39 billion rubles
NOVO-OGAREVO, April 22 – RIA Novosti. Vnesheconombank is to extend a credit to establish a Ford-Sollers Joint Venture for an amount of 39 billion rubles for a period of 10 years at a refinancing rate of plus 2%, the project’s total budget is 75 billion rubles, Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists after Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board meeting.
“The funding provides for building several production facilities in three cities – Naberezhnye Chelny, Elabuga, Vsevolzhsk”, said Dmitriev.
He said that the parties’ participation share in the project to establish a Ford-Sollers Joint Venture is 50 to 50. And the property contribution of both parties is 18 billion rubles.
According to Dmitriev, the project’s implementation will result in building production facilities for manufacturing 350 thousand automobiles per year. Mr. Dmitriev also noted that a domestic competence would be created in engine-building.
VEB’s Chairman said that the project’s implementation would result in forming our own scientific-technical base in Tatarstan. He also stressed that in the course of the project’s implementation budgets of various levels would receive about 39 billion rubles and 3 thousand new jobs would be created.
According to him, in the near future Vnesheconombank intends to sign a memorandum with the project’s participants. The memorandum is to specify investment terms. He noted that the project’s details are being thoroughly studied. Dmitriev said that after completing the preparation of documents, “we would submit finalized financial terms of funding this project to Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board”.
Dmitriev also said that this credit should be extended at the most favorable interest rate. “Now we are discussing a refinancing rate of plus 2%”, said Vnesheconombank’s Chairman.
It became known in mid February that the Russian automaker and Italian Concern Fiat terminated their negotiations about establishing a joint venture which could have become the second largest player after AvtoVAZ on the Russian car market. The companies signed a memorandum on establishing a joint venture a year ago and at the beginning of July Sollers submitted an application to VEB for arranging a syndicated loan worth 2.1 billion euros to fund the project. Later on, the parties decided that they would implement their long-term strategies individually.
At the same time, Sollers was not left without a partner, on the same day the company announced the establishment of a joint venture in equal shares with Ford to manufacture and distribute Ford cars on the Russian market.
VEB’s Supervisory Board accepts founding documents from a managing company of a Direct Investments Fund
NOVO-OGAREVO, April 22 – RIA-Novosti. Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board accepted founding documents of a managing company of a Sovereign Direct Investments Fund, Vnesheconombank Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists after Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board meeting.
“Today we have discussed an issue of establishing a Direct Investments Fund and most importantly, a managing company of this Fund. This managing company is a legal entity - a limited liability company. On the whole, we accepted this institution’s founding documents but they will require some fine tuning”, Mr. Dmitriev told journalists adding that this would be done until this June.
Answering a question about who might be in charge of this institution, Mr. Dmitriev said that they had discussed worthy candidates known to the market.
“I think that in the most immediate future a surname of the managing company’s head will be made public”, said VEB’s Chairman.
A Fund of Direct Investments is scheduled to be established in the form of a closed mutual investment fund. This will be VEB’s 100-percent subsidiary company and its charter capital is to be formed through using federal budgetary funds. Its target amount is to be 10 billion dollars. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev announced an initiative to establish such a fund at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The Fund will be responsible for raising long-term investments for the Russian economy, above all, for high-technology sectors and innovation projects in such industries as power engineering, the gas sector, pharmaceutics and space exploration.
V.V. Putin’s opening address
Good afternoon esteemed colleagues.
We are holding the first meeting of Vnesheconombank Supervisory Board this year. Today we’ll discuss the Bank’s plans and long-term objectives. In the period of the crisis Vnesheconombank played a very important role in supporting key economic sectors such as the banking system, the real economy and participated in the programs of rehabilitating enterprises and credit institutions. In fact, VEB became an efficient anti-crisis-financial management center. Nevertheless, as the situation was stabilizing in 2010, we started to shift priorities by placing more emphasis on long-term development goals, large-scale investment projects aimed at modernization, technical retooling and providing support for small and medium-sized enterprises. It is these lines of activity that should become key priorities this year The Bank’s loan portfolio is scheduled to be increased by 100 billion rubles. These financial resources will be used to fund large-scale investment projects and we’ll discuss a number of these projects today.
Another 10 billion rubles are to be used to support small and medium-sized enterprises. I’d like to remind you that we must bring the amount of financial support for small and medium-sized enterprises to 250 billion rubles. As you know this amount in 2010 was only 50 billion rubles. The mortgage lending development program should be up and running at full capacity. VEB earmarked about 200 billion rubles for these purposes including mortgage housing loans refinancing.
VEB’s participation must secure affordable interest rates on mortgage housing loans. The total amount of mortgage lending is bound to increase too. We expect the total amount of annual mortgage housing loans to reach the pre-crisis level of 650 billion rubles per year by 2012.
VEB must also give top priority to get its regional structures to operate effectively; here I mean the North Caucasus and the Far East. Their task is to be in close contact with investors. You know that the North Caucasus Development Corporation has already been established. And we have to resolve all organizational issues on forming a Direct Investments Fund for the Far Eastern Federal District and the Baikal region before May 1, 2011. At present, Vnesheconombank is conducting expert examination of Far Eastern projects worth 88 billion rubles. I’m sure that all the plans mentioned will be implemented and VEB’s team will go on working on a traditionally high professional level.
In this connection, I’d like to note that in 2010 VEB received the prestigious Deal of the Year Award. Please, accept my congratulations!
The highest marks were given to the following three projects – the Khabarovsk refinery modernization, the construction of an advanced petrochemical complex in Tobolsk and Pulkovo airport reconstruction in Saint Petersburg. We’ll also discuss another several high technology projects today.
I’d like to place particular emphasis on several projects. Here I mean a $1.6 billion credit line for the construction of an ammonia, methanol and carbamide integrated plant in the Republic of Tatarstan. Upon implementing the project the most advanced resource saving and energy efficient technologies will be used; the project will minimize negative impact on the environment and introduce digital production control methods.
I’ d like to stress that the most part of manufactured products (these are nitrogenous fertilizers) will be in demand by our agricultural producers and granulated carbamide have good prospects for export to the CIS, Europe and Asian countries.
We have discussed this project at great length with Tatarstan’s leaders. The Republic’s leaders also attach considerable importance to this project and are deeply involved in this work this is an additional guarantee of this project’s success.
I’d like to draw your attention to one more issue. At the end of the last year we took a decision on Vnesheconombank’s participation in funding regional and urban communal services infrastructure development projects. We have to put in place public private partnership mechanisms for modernizing water and heat supply systems, municipal transport and other facilities. For these purposes VEB is to commit annually 2 billion rubles in the period of five years (2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015).
As a result of their joint efforts Vnesheconombank ad Moscow’s Government have already made a list of investment projects in the transport infrastructure and the communal services system. The Bank plans to commit 900 million rubles in 2011 for these projects’ implementation.
And now I’d like to single out one more important project that involves shipbuilding. You know that we laid down a whole program to rebuild shipbuilding. New shipyards are being built in the Far East and in the North-West of Russia. The United Shipbuilding Company has already formed a good backlog of orders for more than 100 ships. At the same time and for quite apparent reasons our enterprises find it difficult to carve out a niche in the shipbuilding market after a pause of many years. And here there is a need for special government support measures. One of these measures is to be carried out by Vnesheconombank. VEB is to extend payment reimbursement guarantees to ship customers. And this will give an additional competitive edge to our shipyards. Ship customers will be sure that the proper performance of contracts is backed by solid financial guarantees. Their total sum is to amount to 40 billion rubles.
Origin: Internet Portal of the Government of the Russian Federation
On Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board Decisions
VEB to allocate 900 million rubles in 2011 for PPP infrastructure projects in Moscow
Moscow. February 24. INTERFAX - Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board approved a list of investment projects in the transport infrastructure and the housing and communal services system in Moscow. In 2011, up to 900 million rubles are scheduled to be committed for pre-project work, said Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev after a meeting of Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board on Tuesday
“This year we are to allocate about 900 million rubles for pre-project work. Today we have made public a list of projects which might be funded on a PPP basis. We are going to implement these projects together with Moscow. Engineering companies are to be set up. Interested investors and Vnesheconombank will be among these companies’ participants and shareholders”, said V. Dmitriev.
At the same time he noted that because of these allocations Vnesheconombank would increase the total amount of limit to fund similar regional public private partnership (PPP) projects from 2 to 3 billion rubles in 2011.
VEB plans to generate net profit of a bit over 30 billion rubles in 2011
MOSCOW, February 24, - RIA Novosti. Vnesheconombank plans to generate net profit of a bit over 30 billion rubles under the Russian Accounting Standards (RAS) against 28.9 billion rubles in 2010, Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists on Tuesday.
“We plan to generate profit of a bit over 30 billion rubles’, said Dmitriev adding that he meant net profit in 2011.
In early January, VEB said that it increased its net profit in 2010 by 26.8% under the Russian Accounting Standards from 2009 to 28.901 billion rubles.
According to VEB, the Bank generated net profit of 22.79 billion rubles in 2009.
Main objectives of State Corporation ‘Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs (Vnesheconombank)’ established on the basis of Vnesheconombank of the USSR are to make the Russian economy more competitive, diversify it, encourage investment business by way of undertaking credit-investment, guaranty, insurance and consulting activities associated with implementing projects in Russia and abroad among other things, with the participation of foreign capital, as well as with providing support for Russian industrial exports and for small and medium-sized enterprises.
VEB to buy out bonds of the United Aircraft Construction Corporation worth 13.7 billion rubles
MOSCOW, February 23, (Reuters) – Russia’s Vnesheconombank is to buy out bonds of the United Aircraft Construction Corporation worth 13.7 rubles. The funds are to be used to refinance the Corporation’s credit, Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists on Tuesday evening.
In the first quarter of 2011, the United Aircraft Construction Corporation intends to issue 9-year bonds worth 46.28 billion rubles at a fixed coupon rate of 10 percent [ID:nMUE6B81BD]. The bond issue arrangers are Sberbank, VEB Capital and VTB Capital. The company announced that it would borrow money to repay its debt to large banks and as a result, its effective interest rate on debts will diminish to 6 percent from 10 percent.
By the end of 2010, the United Aircraft Construction Corporation’s consolidated debt was 147.6 billion rubles.
Vnesheconombank owns 11 percent of the Corporation’s shares, the state’s stake exceeds 80 percent and private investors own a bit more than 8 percent.
In December of 2009, the United Aircraft Construction Corporation placed an additional issue of shares worth 45.15 billion rubles in favor of the state and VEB in order to restructure its debt and finance investment projects. All in all the United Aircraft Construction Corporation placed three additional issues worth about 67 billion rubles, in the course of which the Russian Federation transferred government stakes of aircraft construction companies to the Corporation’s charter capital.
The United Aircraft Construction Corporation incorporates aircraft construction assets of the Russian Federation; it owns stakes of Sukhoi Holding Company, Research Production Association Irkut, the Nizhny Novgorod Aircraft Construction Plant Sokol, Ilyushin Finance Company, the Tupolev Company.
VEB’s Supervisory Board approved financing of the mineral fertilizers plant construction project in Tatarstan
MOSCOW, February 22, - RIA Novosti. At its meeting on Tuesday, Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board approved the Bank’s participation in funding the mineral fertilizers plant construction project in Tatarstan, Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists.
A trilateral agreement on building this first, in the past 20 years, large mineral fertilizers manufacturing plant on the Russian territory was signed in November of 2010 by Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Sojitz, the China National Engineering Co. (CNCEC) as well as Russia’s state-run company OJSC Ammonii founded by Tatarstan’s Government and VEB in 2006.
Dmitriev said that in the current year VEB would implement large-scale projects and one of them is the ammonia, methanol and carbamide manufacturing integrated plant construction project in Tatarstan.
He added that the project would be for the most part implemented with Japanese banks’ money. “We have agreed that the plant’s products would be for the most part sold on the Russian market”, said Vnesheconombank’s Chairman.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who chairs VEB’s Supervisory Board, said on Tuesday that the total amount of the credit line opened for funding the project was estimated at 1.6 billion dollars.
Under the project the plant is to be put in operation in 2015. The production facility’s capacity would make it possible to simultaneously manufacture ammonia and methanol from natural gas.
A new fertilizers plant is to be built in the city of Mendeleevsk (the Republic of Tatarstan). The city is located about a thousand kilometers to the east of Moscow. The plant is scheduled to manufacture 2.05 thousand metric tons of ammonia per day and 1.382 metric tons of ammonia and 668 metric tons of methanol upon simultaneous production.
VEB to hold a tender to select a managing company of the Traktornye Zavody Concern
Moscow. February 24. INTERFAX - VEB’s Supervisory Board made a decision to hold a tender to select a managing company of the Traktornye Zavody Concern, said VEB Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev after VEB’s Supervisory Board meeting.
He didn’t rule out that the company might be bought out by its former owners.
“A decision was made to hold a tender to select a managing company. In part, we accomplished our mission. We consolidated various isolated entities incorporated in the so called the Traktornye Zavody Concern and conducted financial and technological audit. This company should be managed professionally by highly qualified specialists who have positive experience in crisis management”, said V. Dmitriev.
He also noted that all could participate in a tender to select a managing company including former owners of the Traktornye Zavody Concern.
By the way, V. Dmitriev said that VEB was not so far going to sell the company as it had an option for its former owners who could buy it out”.
Besides, V. Dmitriev said that VEB would participate in the ammonia, methanol and carbamide manufacturing integrated plant construction project in the Republic of Tatarstan together with the republican investment fund.
At the same time, V. Dmitriev said that for the most part the project was to be financed by Japanese banks with the assistance of Japanese state-run institutions, he also added that VEB jointly with the investment fund would have more than a controlling stake in the project.
On Tuesday, VEB’s Supervisory Board approved the extending of guarantees to Russian ship customers against payments to shipyards where appropriate vessels are to be built.
“The problem was that shipyards failed to secure guaranteed reimbursement of payments made for building vessels. Now Vnesheconombank is to assume this mission and we believe that we’ll be able to guarantee and secure an adequate volume of orders and our fleet will be provided with vessels it really needs”, said V. Dmitriev
Vnesheconombank is ready to participate in financing Sollers and Ford joint venture
MOSCOW, February 22. /ITAR-TASS/. Vnesheconombank is ready to participate in financing Soller and Ford joint venture, Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists about it. “We are ready”, he said.
Dmitriev made it clear that the Bank hadn’t so far entered into any agreements with this tandem. He added that as soon as the joint venture’s financial model became clear, VEB would be able to take a decision.
Last week, the Russian automaker Sollers announced its withdrawal from the agreement on establishing a joint venture with Fiat. Sollers also announced that instead of Fiat, Ford auto concern would be Sollers’ partner. The companies have already submitted an application for participating in a new mode of industrial auto assembly.
Vnesheconombank does not plan to purchase Alexander’s Lebedev’s stake in Ilyushin Finance Company
MOSCOW, February 22. /ITAR-TASS/. Vnesheconombank does not plan to purchase Alexander Lebedev’s stake in Ilyushin Finance Company. Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists about it today.
“An issue of buying out these shares is not on the agenda”, he said.
The National Reserve Corporation owned by Alexander Lebedev holds 8.65% of Ilyushin Finance’s shares. A buy-out of this asset was at issue as part of preparations for a public offering of Ilyushin Finance Company’s shares but the Company decided to determine its shareholding structure before conducting a public offering of shares.
Ilyushin Finance is incorporated in the United Aircraft Construction Corporation as a main sales unit of new civil Russian-aircraft. In particular, Ilyushin Finance Company leases out An-148 and MS-21 aircraft.
