PRESS: Russia’s Safmar group seen as key contender for VEB units

MOSCOW, Jul 19 (PRIME) -- Safmar Financial Group of Russian businessmen Mikhail Gutseriyev and Mikail Shishkhanov may become the main competitor for affiliate banks of state-owned Vnesheconombank (VEB), Globexbank and Sviaz-Bank, business daily Kommersant reported Tuesday, citing sources with knowledge of the matter.

VEB plans to sell the affiliates in a single lot, the sources said. The bank has already started to prepare them for sale, a source close to the VEB supervisory board told the daily.

Promsvyazcapital of brothers Dmitry and Alexei Ananyev is also interested in acquisition of Globexbank and Sviaz-Bank, but Safmar is more interested and has more chances to strike a deal, the sources said.

Shishkhanov told Kommersant that Safmar is not in negotiations regarding the VEB assets.

B&N Bank owned by Safmar may increase in weight as a result of the deal and ensure its status of “too big to fail,” experts polled by Kommersant said. The overall capital of the group’s assets may exceed 2 trillion rubles, they said.

(63.1154 rubles – U.S. $1)

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