Crimean authorities sold RNKB
Moscow - Simferopol, February 2 (PolitNavigator, Mikhail Stamm) - The Crimean authorities sold the largest bank RNKB to the little-known Russian LLC KER. Based on the bank, the new owners intend to expand financing of public-private projects in Crimea in the fields of energy, heat supply and road construction.
Subscribe to PolitNavigator – Crimea news on Facebook , Odnoklassniki , or VKontakte
According to experts interviewed by Kommersant , which learned of the deal , the deal's value is unlikely to have exceeded 4 billion rubles, although the bank's assets are valued at no less than 6 billion, and the bank, which has 230 branches and approximately 600 ATMs in Crimea, posted a net profit of approximately 1,5 billion rubles in 2014. But the discount is understandable, they say: Crimea is under sanctions, after all.
KER LLC, founded in 2006, consists of one Russian-French company and six Russian companies. The names of the companies are not disclosed. The company implements projects in the electric power, heat supply, and road infrastructure sectors. Its clients include Rosseti, FGC, and large power generation companies . The group is known for laying submarine cables: in the spring of 2014, the company offered its services for laying a cable along the bottom of the Kerch Strait to Crimea. KER's current portfolio of projects includes the construction of a highway in the Primorye gambling zone, a Hyatt hotel in Vladivostok, and infrastructure for special economic zones. The group's partners in several projects include banks from the VTB and VEB groups. The ultimate beneficiaries of KER are Igor Lukashenko, President of KER Group; Alexey Baranov, First Vice President; Vladimir Kazintsev, CEO of KER Management Company; and Daria Demchenko, who represents the interests of several individuals.
Crimean authorities sold RNKB