MAGNITOGORSK, 14 September 2007 – OJSC “Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works”, the largest one-site steel producer in Russia, and a consortium of international banks consisting of ABN AMRO, Deutsche Bank AG, and ING Wholesale Banking today signed a loan agreement amounting to EUR 365 million. This loan agreement enjoys insurance cover provided by EULER HERMES Kreditversicherungs-AG, Hamburg, acting on behalf and for the account of the Federal Republic of Germany. This 10-year financing will be utilised to finance supplies and services from SMS Demag AG, Germany, for the construction of a 5,000

Volume of loans given by AGROPROMBANK Credit to borrowers for 1 to 3 years despite an overdraft account went down by 21.27% (from 44.2 million RUR to 34.8 million RUR) in January-August 2007, Central Bank of Russia reports.

According to the spokesperson for Evraz Group, a two-week overhaul of a transporter crane was completed in Abagurskiy subsidiary of Evrazruda (Russian ore maker and part of Evraz Group). The employees of Sibspetsremont (the company’s contractor) restored the weld seams of the beams used for the grab car track, fitted the equipment with some fortifying elements, repaired the joints of bolts and clenches and fixed the shaky frame. Prior to the overhaul, experts of Sibproektstalkonstruktsiya examined the metal parts of the crane, came up with a list of faulty elements, and drew up all the papers

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of for-profit self-regulatory organizations’ deposits in Sverdlovsk Gubernskiy Bank valid for 31 to 90 days went down by 100% (from 175 million RUR to zero) in January-August 2007.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of state-owned for-profit organizations’ deposits in Ural Innovational Commercial Bank valid for 181 days to 1 year went down by 100% (from 501,000 RUR to zero) in January-August 2007.

The average nominal wages in Sverdlovsk Region are predicted to amount to 23,670 RUR in 2010, the regional Ministry of Economics and Finance claims on the basis of the project on Sverdlovsk Region’s socio-economic development in 2008-2010.

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of nongovernmental financial organizations’ deposits in VUZ Bank valid for 1 to 3 years went down by 13.3% (from 38.5 million RUR to 33.38 million RUR) in January-August 2007.

Officers of Kurgan Customs disclosed a case of Puma trademark offense in the course of operational search actions on September 12, 2007, the spokesperson for Ural Customs Administration reports. The customs search revealed that there had been 310 pairs of sports shoes worth 62,000 RUR in Bishkek-Sverdlovsk passenger train that an entrepreneur from Kyrgyzstan was trying to hide from the inspectors. The goods were confiscated and transferred into the temporary storage warehouse; the unfortunate businessman will have to face administrative liability suit.

A criminal trial of a group of bank loan fraudsters is to take place in Sverdlovsk Region Court at 3 PM on September 13, 2007. ‘These swindlers had been using forged documents to get consumer loans from Home Credit and Finance Bank Ltd and Russian Standard Bank from June 2005 to July 2006,’ the court’s press officer Galina Subbotina said to UrBC. The group’s leader Yuri Saiyan is a first-time offender with a college degree; there were eleven people involved in the fraud altogether; two of them happen to be Mr. Saiyan’s brothers. So far, Mr. Saiyan has been charged with offenses related to 216

Starting September 14, 2007, Ural Airlines is going to offer its customers e-tickets for Yekaterinburg-Dubai flights. At the moment, e-tickets can be bought at the carrier’s booking offices and Yekaterinburg- and Dubai-based authorized agencies (the list of which is available at the airline’s website www.uralairlines.com), Ural Airlines’ press officer reports. ‘E-tickets are gradually replacing paper tickets, but the process of switching to paperless business is rather time-consuming. We have already gone through several stages of dealing with the technological sides of the issue and getting

Bank24.ru acquired Retra Insurance Company. The bank’s press officer reports Retra is one the Urals’ oldest insurers, as it was set up in 1993; the company is proud of its impressive client database that comprises both profit-making and public sector enterprises as well as a significant proportion of private customers. The acquisition resulted in Retra’s capital rising by 40 million RUR. ‘Buying this insurance company is seen is a strategic decision. We intend to develop this insurer as a separate business, since this kind of activity has a lot of potential. In the very near future, Retra is

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of non-profit NGOs’ deposits in UralFinPromBank valid for 1 to 3 years went down by 93.39% (from 5.14 million RUR to 340,000 RUR) in January-August 2007.

Ural Airlines is planning to resume its scheduled flights to Thailand on October 2, 2007; the flights will be operated twice a week (every Tuesday and Friday) using an A-320 aircraft. The company’s press officer says tickets are available from any booking office in Russia.

Head of Sverdlovsk Region Government Viktor Koksharov met the General Director of Microsoft Rus Ltd Birger Steen at the regional government’s conference room. The two executives agreed to join their efforts in the fields of government IT infrastructure development, enhancing the regional IT system’s infosecurity level, application of the most advanced information technologies in education and healthcare, and giving government officials more IT training. Then, Mr. Koksharov and Mr. Steen signed the Agreement of Intent regarding application of information technologies. The spokesperson for the

In June and July 2007, some holders of Visa and Visa Electron cards were able to take part in the lottery organized by Visa International by simply using their bank cards to pay for any product or service they bought or topping up their bank account with the help of an ATM by at least 300 RUR. Over 3,200,000 transactions performed by cardholders from 64 different banks that supported the campaign had a chance of winning. The drawing took place on August 21, 2007 in Moscow and resulted in thirty-two people getting entitled to 3,000-ruble gift certificates that they could use to shop in

The Minister for International and Foreign Economic Relations of Sverdlovsk Region Alexander Kharlov recently held negotiations with the head of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development’s Russian representation Artem Sitnikov. The meeting was made possible due to EBRD Business Group Director for Russia Alain Pilloux’s upcoming visit to Ural Federal District. Mr. Kharlov said Sverdlovsk Region was definitely interested in keeping on cooperating with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; for instance, the bank could take part in a number of construction projects that

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of loans given by Pervouralsk Joint Stock Commercial Bank to sole traders for 1 to 3 years went down by 14.52% (from 39.581 million RUR to 33.834 million RUR) in January-August 2007.

Central Bank of Russia reports volume of self-regulatory organizations’ deposits in Yekaterinburg Municipal Bank valid for 181 days to 1 year went down by 100% (from 5 million RUR to zero) in January-August 2007.

URSA Bank published a report on its consolidated accounts in the first half of 2007, with figures compiled in accordance with the IAS; the report was audited by KPMG. The data provided in the report indicate that the bank’s assets rose by 3.1 times on July 1, 2007 compared to a year earlier and reached 143.7 billion RUR. The bank’s equity capital grew by 7.7 times and came to 26.4 billion RUR. URSA Bank’s profits amounted to 1.43 billion RUR in January-June 2007, which exceeds the figures for January-June 2006 by 2.4 times; its returns on assets and equity amounted to 2.5% and 31.7%,

According to the Central Bank of Russia, volume of for-profit self-regulatory organizations’ deposits in Sverdlovsk Gubernskiy Bank valid for 31 to 90 days went down by 100% (from 175.001 million RUR to zero) in January-August 2007.