Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev’s Interview to the TV Channel Russia 24

Vnesheconombank’s Conference “Sustainable Growth through Long-Term Investments” is taking place in Moscow. The Conference’s main theme will also top the agenda of a forthcoming G20 summit. My colleague Maria Efremova is present at the conference today. Hullo Maria! I’m giving the floor to you.

CORR: Hullo Kseniya. Today’s key theme is funding long-term investments. Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev is ready to answer our questions. Vladimir Alexandrovich, Good afternoon. Vnesheconombank is supposed to start participating in implementing major infrastructure projects. How much money in your opinion will be needed to fund these projects?

Vladimir DMITRIEV, Vnesheconombank Chairman: We are already actively involved in funding infrastructure projects and here I mean not only major projects being implemented by RZHD and the Federal Grid Company (FGC) but also projects in housing and communal services infrastructure, telecommunications and other economic sectors that form infrastructure. They include the construction of airports and toll motorways where we cooperate closely both with Russian and foreign financing institutions. As far as projects that are to be funded through using pension funds are concerned we intend to invest about 100-200 billion rubles by way of purchasing bonds to be issued by such companies as RZHD and FGC.

CORR: Vladimir Alexandrovich, some say that not only infrastructure projects are appropriate for long-term money. And what other alternative instruments are in your opinion also available?

Vladimir DMITRIEV: If we are talking about instruments and sources of funding long-term investments there is no doubt that pension money is not sufficient and we should involve both private investments and funds owned by the state and here I mean the National Wealth Fund. This issue is hotly debated now and we suggest that Vnesheconombank should act as an operator of the National Wealth Fund’s financial resources which could be used to fund various projects in the Russian economy. As far as private investments are concerned, I would like to highlight the Russian Direct Investment Fund which is now together with its partners and direct investment funds, private and sovereign funds creating appropriate infrastructure to make investments in the Russian economy. It has already closed transactions for a total amount of 2 billion dollars and reached a desired proportion between Russian money and raised foreign investments, which is now 1 to 5. This is a good indicator. And funds raised from private investors and sovereign funds are used to finance economic sectors attractive for foreign investors. They include medicine, public health care, the stock market, the timber processing industry, telecommunications and a number of other sectors of our economy.

CORR: The Conference’s participants are from many various countries. What Russian instruments and projects are they interested in?

Vladimir DMITRIEV: It’s important to keep in mind that as rule private investors seek to invest in reliable and highly profitable projects. But sometimes it’s not easy to achieve a combination of reliability and high profitability. So, we offer to share risks and co-invest Russian and foreign money in those projects that might be attractive for foreign investors and that are very important in terms of developing our economic sectors such as infrastructure and also those related to our growing middle class as well as public health care, medicine, the retail sector and a whole number of other sectors. By the way, social infrastructure is of interest too. And here I mean construction of pre-school child care institutions, fitness centers where a whole number of Russian investors are ready to cooperate with Vnesheconombank and regional authorities to invest their financial resources on a long-term basis.

CORR: And what can you say about projects that Vnesheconombank is implementing with other countries?

Vladimir DMITRIEV: So far, we have been working pretty successfully on a bilateral basis cooperating closely with national development banks and international financing institutions. For example, our cooperation with Germany’s development bank resulted in establishing several investment funds. Quite recently we have signed a declaration on establishing another investment fund. And we hope that his fund will amount to at least 500 billion dollars and will be used to provide support for Russian small and medium-sized enterprises. So, as opposed to our previous practices we are going not only to extend credits to small and medium-sized enterprises through our subsidiary bank but also invest funds of Russian and international investors in small and medium-sized enterprises to increase their capitalization and make them more attractive for financing institutions. I would also like to stress our cooperation with the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Together with the World Bank we set up a long-term investment fund to make investments in Russian regional banks and we put in place a similar scheme with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. This example shows clearly that Russia is open for foreign investments and that there are sectors in the Russian economy that are attractive for foreign investors.

CORR: And my last question is about a BRICS bank. Is it being established?

Vladimir DMITRIEV: I’m not the right person for this question. But as there is an interbank consortium within BRICS, which is comprised of national development banks, we and our partners from BRICS believe that it’s better not to establish a new institution but to additionally capitalize national development banks for them to raise financial resources from capital markets and participate jointly in implementing projects that are of interest for BRICS member countries.