Vnesheconombank’s Regular Supervisory Board Meeting Held

Russian Prime Minister V.V.Putin Conducts a Meeting of Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board

The Premier said that although in 2009 VEB diverted considerable funds for implementing crisis management measures; it also carried on operating as the Bank for Development. V.V. Putin expressed confidence that in 2010 VEB’s financial resources would be used most effectively to technologically upgrade Russian industries and generate additional demand for innovations.

V.V. Putin’s opening address

Good afternoon esteemed colleagues. Let’s start Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board meeting.

First, we are to approve the report on the bank’s performance for 2009. And here I’d like to underline a very important point. The Bank spent considerable resources to implement crisis management measures and in this respect I’d like to say that these measures were quite successful.

At the same time, VEB carried on operating as the Bank for Development. Its investment loan portfolio increased by 77% to 230 billion rubles. Due to the Bank’s financial support 24 new projects were started in power engineering, agriculture and a number of other sectors. VEB launched a 250 billion ruble program to support mortgage lending. This also enabled commercial banks to reduce interest rates on mortgages. Sberbank President German Gref told me that Sberbank had abolished all bonuses and cut mortgage interest rates by 3% on average.

VEB provided considerable support worth 40 billion rubles to small and medium-sized enterprises. And in this respect I would like to say today that VEB’s overall performance can be assessed as positive.

In 2010, Vnesheconombank should also place main emphasis on preparing new investment projects, some of which we’ll discuss today.

For example, we have been offered to extend a long-term credit to build a modern timber deep processing integrated facility at the port of Vanino in the Khabarovsk Territory.

To my best knowledge, the project’s initiators have completed the first stage from the ground up in mid 2009.The second stage is to be completed in the second quarter of 2010.

Vnesheconombank is completing an eleven-billion ruble loan to finance the construction of the third stage, which is expected to increase production facilities and create 500 new jobs.

It should be noted that the investment in timber processing was not VEB’s first investment in the region, specifically, at the port of Vanino. In 2009, the construction of a new sea coal terminal with a designed export capacity of 12 million tons of coal started in Vanino.

Meanwhile, RAO RZhD is actively renovating the railway line from Vanino to Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Recently we held a meeting to discuss the project’s implementation. One of the most important elements of the project is to reconstruct and renovate the Kuznetsovsky Tunnel. It was built as early as in 1945. The new railway line would make it possible to use the Baikal-Amur Mainline to its full capacity.

It is obvious that it is this comprehensive approach to developing territories, infrastructure and natural resources that ensures sustainable development of the Far East in the most effective way.

Let me mention one more transport project. Vnesheconombank is to finance the purchase of two ice-class tankers. These are modern tankers, which our transport companies need badly. They are designed to transport oil produced offshore in the Barents Sea.

The first tanker, Mikhail Ulyanov, has been already delivered to the customer, Sovcomflot. The other tanker, Kirill Lavrov, has been launched and is due to be commissioned soon.

Vessels of this class haven’t been built in Russia before.  They were built with the use of cutting-edge technology and breakthrough innovations. That is to say, VEB’s financial resources will be used to technologically upgrade Russian industries, in this particular case shipbuilding, and will generate additional demand for innovations.

It is these projects that we should focus in the future.

Let’s proceed to our discussion.

Origin: Internet Portal of the Government of the Russian Federation

On Decisions Taken by Vnesheconombank’s Supervisory Board

VEB’s profit for 2009 will be used to finance its activity – Dmitriev

NOVO-OGAREVO, May 26 - RIA Novosti. Vnesheconombank’s profit for 2009 will be fully allocated to the state corporation’s funds and used to finance its activity, Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists on Wednesday after the meeting of the state corporation’s supervisory board.

“The profit has been fully allocated to the Bank’s funds and will be used to finance Vnesheconombank’s activity”, said Dmitriev reminding that VEB’s profit for 2009 was 31 billion rubles.

The state corporation’s profit for the first quarter exceeded 20 billion rubles. Dmitriev said that if a decision to reduce interest rates on subordinated loans extended by VEB to Russian banks as part of crisis management measures was taken, the state corporation’s profit from such loans would be reduced by two thirds.

According to him, in terms of profit amount for 2009 the state corporation came out on top among other banks. In terms of profit amount for the first quarter of 2010, the Bank took second if not first place. Reportedly, Vnesheconombank’s net profit for January-March of 2010 was 23.1 billion rubles against 1.1 billion in the same period of 2008.

The Bank’s assets amounted to 1.8 trillion rubles and Vnesheconombank is among the third largest Russian banks.

Dmitriev reminded that incomes of 175 billion rubles from transactions with securities were reinvested and were committed for achieving core objectives.

VEB’s Supervisory Board approves the Bank’s participation in projects worth almost 500 Million Euros

NOVO-OGAREVO, May 26, /ITAR-TASS/. Today, VEB’s Supervisory Board approved the Bank’s participation in projects worth almost 500 million euros. Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists that the financing amount for the construction of tankers would be about 240 million euros and that another 250 million euros would be used to finance the construction of a timber processing factory.

VEB will participate in funding the project aimed at purchasing and operating Arctic shuttle tankers by Sovcomflot. The tankers are designed to ship oil, oil products and gas condensate. The main prospective transport route is the Prirazlomnoye oil field /the Pechera Sea/ - Western Europe. Before the start of the oil field’s exploitation, the tankers are expected to be used for shipping liquid hydrocarbons along the shipping line from ports of the Baltics to ports of Western Europe.

A timber processing integrated plant manufacturing chipboards and sawn timber is planned to be built in the Vanino district of the Khabarovsk Territory with a timber processing capacity of up to 1.1 million cubic meters per year. The project is aimed at enhancing natural resources utilization efficiency, promoting Russian industrial exports and boosting the region’s socio-economic development.

VEB to provide Sovcomflot with 240 million euros for purchasing Arctic tankers

Novo-Ogarevo. May 26. INTERFAX-AFI – Vnesheconombank (VEB) is to provide Sovcomflot with 240 million euros for purchasing and operating Arctic vessels designed to ship oil, oil products and gas condensate, VEB Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told journalists.

V.Dmitriev said that that the Bank’s Supervisory Board approved the Bank’s participation in financing this project on Wednesday.

VEB’s Chairman said that this project was to be financed as part of Vnesheconombank’s leasing business. These vessels are planned to be bought out by VEB-Leasing and then let on time charter to Sovcomflot and Gazprom (PTC: GAZP).

These vessels are planned to be used for shipping oil and gas from the Prirazlomnoye Arctic oil field (the Pechora Sea). But even before the Prirazlomnoye oil field starts to operate, these vessels will be used in other projects. “Even now there is a contract for shipping oil from Murmansk to China”, said V.Dmitriev.

Two tankers Mikhail Ulyanov and Kirill Lavrov were built by the order of Sovcomflot at the shipyards in Saint-Petersburg. The first tanker, Mikhail Ulyanov, has been already delivered to the customer and the second tanker, Mikhail Lavrov, is due to be commissioned in the middle of this year. These vessels’ deadweight is 70 thousand tons.

Sovcomflot is one of the world’s largest maritime shipping companies specializing in natural resources shipping including by Aframax class tankers, petrochemical tankers and ice class tankers. It is a 100% state-owned corporation.

The Company’s earnings under the International Accounting Standards fell by 25% to $1.2 billion in 2009. Net profit almost halved to $217 million.

The Company’s fleet increased by 17 vessels in 2009, including 5 Suezmax-Class tankers and 4 Aframax-Class tankers, to 144 vessels with the total deadweight of 10 million tons.

V.Dmitriev believes that Tractornye Zavody’s debts can be restructured and then Vnesheconombank can finance its investment projects

NOVO-OGAREVO, May 26. /PRIME-TASS/. Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev believes that Tractornye Zavody’s debts can be restructured and then Vnesheconombank can finance its investment projects. He told journalists about it after the Bank’s Supervisory Board meeting where they discussed restructuring Tractornye Zavody’s debts.

“In our opinion and in accordance with the decisions taken by our Supervisory Board an issue of restructuring debts to commercial banks would be dealt with appropriately. Taking into account commercial banks’ positions, Vnesheconombank considers it possible to restructure the corporation’s debts and provide funds for implementing the corporation’s investment projects”, said V.Dmitriev