UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 26, 2018. The awarding ceremony of the National Business Communication Prize took place in Yekaterinburg on November 22, 2018. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development won in Best Marketing Campaign and Best Marketing Director categories. ‘The UBRD 120-Day-Grace-Period credit card program got the third prize in the Marketing Campaigns category. The judges’ panel said this was a banking market’s pioneer project, as the UBRD credit card had the largest grace period on the market at the time of the launch. Moreover, the credit card is free to get, you can

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 26, 2018. The international rating agency Moody’s upped EVRAZ Group’s corporate rating from Ba1 to Ba2. with Stable rating outlook, Prime refers to the agency as stating. ‘The Group’s rating was improved based on the ongoing decline in both the leverage and debt burden figures and on our expectations that the company will be able to keep its leverage within the required Ba1 limits,’ Moody’s Vice President and Senior Credit Director Artem Frolov is quoted as saying. The agency also commented on the Group’s low-cost production, its own iron ore and coke coal

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 26, 2018. Vladimir Zotov got appointed the Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development’s Treasury Operations Director on November 16, 2018. According to the bank’s press service, Zotov will now be in charge running the treasury’s activities and making sure all treasury transactions go through. This includes legal framework improvements, software system supervision, and negotiations with external contractors. As the Treasury Operations Director, Zotov will also be responsible for coordinating the performance of treasury subdivisions that deal in a wide range of

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 26, 2018. The Urals’ locals spent more than RUR 6m on new Apple smartphones this fall; remarkably, every one in two iPhones got bought on credit, MegaFon Ural’s press service reports. The company’s data reveal that 64Gb makes proved the most popular ones; the most popular colors are black, grey, and golden. ‘The new Apple products got mostly hunted for my men. Most of the iPhones were sold in Sverdlovsk Region, Tyumen Region, Chelyabinsk Region, and Yugra. The Mid-Urals also proved No.5 among all the Russian territories in terms of smartphone sales. The only

UrBC, Moscow, November 26, 2018. The Japanese car manufacturer Mazda is calling 62,357 automobiles off the Russian market due to potential airbag issues, Rosstat reports. ‘The cars are being called off as higher humidity levels might cause body defects in the front passenger airbags’ gas generators, which might result in incorrect airbag activation in case of a collision. Also, a defect in the gas generator body might result in metal splinters hurting the driver or the passengers and cause severe injuries or death,’ Rosstat says. Called off are Mazda 2, Mazda 6, Mazda CX-7, and Mazda BT-50.

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 23, 2018. Ural Airlines are now offering their customers reduced-price tickets to Uzbekistan and back, the air carrier’s press service reports. Ural Airlines’ offer holds on November 21-25, 2018; the 5% discount is offered on the following flights: Namangan-Saint Petersburg and Saint Petersburg-Namangan; Navoi-Saint Petersburg and Saint Petersburg-Navoi; Urgench-Saint Petersburg and Saint Petersburg-Urgench; Fergana-Saint Petersburg and Saint Petersburg-Fergana; Nukus-Moscow and Moscow-Nukus; Nukus-Zhukovsky and Zhukovsky-Nukus; Karshi-Zhukovsky and

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, November 23, 2018. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) won the first prize at the 24th International Metal Expo 2018 Industrial Exhibition. The company got gold for the development and launch of a production logistics information system that boosts a company’s productivity. According to MMK’s Information & PR Department, the awarding ceremony took place at the end of the forum in Moscow on November 13-16. Among the winners are Russia’s leading metallurgical enterprises and scientific research institutes that developed and launched new technologies successfully or

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 23, 2018. ChelPipe Group’s member enterprise Pervouralsk New Pipe Plant (PNTZ) hosted ChelPipe Group’s and Metalloinvest’s Coordination Council meeting; the event was attended by managers and employees of ChelPipe Group, Metalloinvest, Ural Steel, and Oskol Electro-Metallurgical Plant (OEMK). According to the Group’s press service, the meeting participants looked into the outcome of their cooperation in the past year and updated the action plan for their 100% Quality Program. They then split into several work teams to discuss the quality of and delivery terms and

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, November 23, 2018. Chairman of Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) Board of Directors Viktor Rashnikov won the Director of The Year Prize for the years 2017-2018. Viktor Rashnikov got awarded within the 25 Best BOD Directors category; the decision was taken by the expert board for the prize. The prize itself got established in 2006 by PwC and the Independent Directors Association. The awarding ceremony took place in Moscow on November 21, MMK’s Information & PR Department reports. ‘Two more MMK representatives — Corporate Issues & Social Programs Director

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 23, 2018. MegaFon is now among Russia’s top five companies with the biggest cashback service turnover, the telecommunications provider’s press service reports. MegaFon outstripped Booking.com, Citilink, AliExpress, and M.Video on the cashback market. The company’s data reveal that seven out of ten purchases within #Специи, the cashback service, get made by men. Mostly, customers shop for smartphones, other gadgets, household appliances, and electronic goods. MegaFon also came up with a special offer for #Специи fans on Black Friday, when the cashback percentage

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 22, 2018. Ural Airlines are launching a sale on its Yekaterinburg-Dubai-Yekaterinburg flights: prices start from €110 for Economy tickets and from €1,140 for Business ones (round trip, fees excluded). The offer holds between November 21 and December 1, 2018 for flights to be operated between January 15 and February 18, 2019, between February 26 and March 24, 2019, and between April 3 and May 23, 2019, the air carrier’s press service reports. ‘A winter in Dubai is a special time of the year when it’s not scorchingly hot and the Persian Gulf looks like the perfect

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 22, 2018. MegaFon is now the first Russian telecommunications provider to set up Business Opportunities Center in Oruzheyny Lane in Moscow. Since the Urals-based businesspeople have tended to travel to Moscow and Moscow Region increasingly more often in the last two months (as the company’s data reveal), MegaFon now invites them all to try out the provider’s digital solutions during their next trip, MegaFon Ural’s press service reports. MegaFon’s business customers can have a look at the company’s latest telecom developments, from paperwork solutions to

UrBC, Nizhniy Tagil, November 22, 2018. EVRAZ Holding won silver in the Urals’ Corporate Charity Leaders Contest. The judges’ panel took into account the company’s charity and volunteer projects in Nizhniy Tagil and Kachkanar, EVRAZ Holding Ural’s Corporate Relations Center reports. EVRAZ Nizhniy Tagil Iron and Steel Works (NTMK) submitted two projects for the contest. The plant’s grant competition called EVRAZ: City of Friends — City of Ideas! won the second prize as Best Program/Project Promoting Charity, Volunteer Projects, and Non-Profit Organizations’ Infrastructure Development in

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, November 22, 2018. Most of the 4th Russian-Chinese Forum’s events will take place in Chelyabinsk on December 4, 2018, Southern Urals’ Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s press service reports. Some three hundred people are expected to arrive in Chelyabinsk on December 3, all of them Russian and Chinese government officials and business executives; they will all contribute to the 4th Russian-Chinese SME Forum 2018. The event is meant to serve as the primary platform for establishing business connections between the Russian and Chinese businessmen and women. The forum gets

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, November 22, 2018. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) is now hosting a seminar/meeting of power engineers employed within Russia’s and the CIS member states’ metallurgical sector, MMK’s Information & PR Department reports. Over eighty workers from MMK, NLMK, Severstal, UMMC Holding, Vyksunsky Metallurgical Plant, EVRAZ NTMK, ArcelorMittal Temirtau, and other companies are sharing their experience with their Energy Departments’ operation efficiency enhancement programs. President of CHERMET Corporation Nikolay Gugis and MMK’s Senior Power Engineer Alexei Khlystov

UrBC, Moscow, November 21, 2018. The rating agency Expert RA improved EVRAZ Holding’s credit rating to ruAA-, with Stable rating outlook. The holding used to get rated as ruA+, with Stable rating outlook, earlier, the agency’s press service reports. EVRAZ Holding is a vertically integrated mining and metallurgical company with primary production assets based in Russia and the United States. In the first half of 2018, 62% of the company’s revenues stemmed from its Russian steel market sales, 16% came from the U.S. steel market sales, and 18% came from the coal sales. The holding’s rating went

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 21, 2018. Ural Airlines launches its new Volgograd-Yerevan flight on December 10, 2018, the air carrier’s press service reports. Flight U6 2668 Yerevan-Volgograd will get operated every Monday; flight U6 2667 Volgograd-Yerevan will get operated every Tuesday. Prices start from RUR 6,506 and RUR 5.028, respectively. The flight is one hour and forty-five minutes long. ‘Armenia charms its visitors with its magnificent landscapes, its delicious food and drinks, and its hospitality. The colorful scenery, the monasteries located high up in the mountains, the historic

UrBC, Chelyabinsk, November 21, 2018. Alnas, the asset of ChelPipe Group’s Rimera Oilfield Services Division, turned forty this year. The festivities to celebrate the occasion took place in Almetyevsk, Tatarstan. President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov, ChelPipe Group’s shareholder Andrei Komarov, and a number of other high-profile officials and executives took part in the event. For one, visitors to Almetyevsk took a guided tour of Alnas’s production facilities, went to the exhibition of ChelPipe Group’s pipe and oilfield services produce, and contributed to the solemn awarding ceremony

UrBC, Magnitogorsk, November 21, 2018. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) won the national import substitution Prioritet 2018 Prize in Metallurgy. The company got awarded for SteelArt, a unique polymeric rolled steel product made at MMK Group’s Lysva Metallurgical Plant. According to MMK’s Information & PR Department, SteelArt is a kind of polymeric rolled product with decorative coating that closely imitates the look and feel of natural materials. The product has no counterparts on the Russian market at the moment. The photo-offset method-based Print Technology that is used for

UrBC, Yekaterinburg, November 21, 2018. The Ural Bank for Reconstruction & Development (UBRD) Finance Group co-organized and contributed to three syndicated loans to Belarus-based banks this year, thus providing its partners with €17m (more than RUR 1.2bn) all in all, the bank’s press service reports. UBRD Finance Group’s member organization VUZ Bank financed Belarus-based ZAO Alfa Bank in February 2018: €2m out of the €29m and $6 offered through the syndicated loan. Svyaz-Bank, Otkritie FC Bank, Expobank, Gazprombank, Bank UralSib, AK Bars Bank, Zenit Bank, and Alef Bank all contributed