Ural Federal District’s division of Russia’s Federal Financial Markets Service issued order #62-11-396/pz-i on April 13, 2011 that allowed Sverdlovsk Region-based Uralbiofarm not to disclose or provide information in accordance with Article 30 of the Federal Stock Market Act.

RBC.Rating’s analysts came up with the rating of Russia’s largest banks in terms of unsecured loan issuance in 2010. The analysts report the total volume of such loans offered by Russian banks to their customers in 2010 was almost twice as big as that for the year 2009. The lending portfolios of the overwhelming majority of Russian banks featured in the rating grew considerably. SKB-Bank topped the list of banks with the greatest unsecured loan portfolio increases in 2010. Its portfolio grew from 4.9bn RUR on January 1, 2010 to 15.5bn RUR on January 1, 2011. The increase reached 220% in the

Sverdlovsk Region division of Russia’s Federal Antimonopoly Service declared the regional Healthcare Ministry guilty of violating the Competition Protection Act. The legal proceedings were instituted on the basis of the data provided by Russia’s Investigative Committee as to the ministry buying some medical equipment at overpriced rates in 2008. The winner was Technointorg that offered Toshiba computer tomographs for the total price of 191.19m RUR. The applications were also placed by Stomax (with the offer of Siemens tomographs for 170m RUR) and Unix Medical Company (with the offer of GE

Starting today, the telecommunications provider MegaFon’s illustrated magazine on new gadgets and devices Ispytatel will be available electronically, the company’s press service reports. The magazine readers can now enjoy the paper version and the iPad one. This is Russia’s first project on a digital version of a magazine for mobile phone users; the idea was implemented by the telecommunications operator specially for the Russian iPad owners. Starting today, the Ispytatel app will be available via App Store free of charge. The magazine features tests on the most popular mobile phones, tech

The international rating agency gave Evraz Group S.A. unsecured bond issue of $500m B+. This issue’s rating meets the credit rating of Evraz itself. The IDR comes to 4, which marks the average debt compensation expectations (30%-50%) in case of default. According to Standard & Poor's, the money to be obtained through the issue is mainly intended to refinance current debt. The agency’s hypothetical scenario provides for the possibility of the company’s weakening paying capacity due to steadily low steel prices, shrinking production output, restructuring, and pay rises. ‘The scenario

UniCredit Bank reports its net interest yield dropped greatly in the first quarter of 2011. The company explains the 33% decrease in the first quarter of the year against the last quarter of 2010 has to do with the declining currency operation profit and commission revenues as well as the need to increase the possible loan loss reserves.

In the year 2010, the plant’s profits coming in from pipe and scrap metal sales rose to 73,517m RUR, which was 60.5% better than in the year 2009; this increase in profits was mainly brought about be the increased large-diameter pipe, OCTG and seamless pipe sales; furthermore, LDP prices rose last year as well. The increase in the price of LDPs, OCTG, and seamless and welded industrial pipes came to 36%, 5%, 21%, and 28%, respectively, in comparison with the shipping prices of 2009. The sale prices rose because the raw materials grew more expensive and because the plant’s order portfolio came

Ural Instrument-Making Plant is going to get a new management team. The plant’s stockholders decided to vote for the early resignation of the company’s GD Georgy Vassilyev at the extraordinary general meeting on June 25, 2011. According to the agenda of the EGM, the meeting is expected to result in the election of the new General Director. The shareholders can propose their nominees before May 24, 2011.

The first new-format award ceremony of the international Golden Chariot Prize took place in Dubai, UAE, in the course of the 59-th World Congress and the exhibition on Mobility & Urban Transport. Ural Airlines won in the Russia’s Air Transport Leader category and was given a gilded figurine of a troika as well as the laureate’s certificates. ‘The prize won international recognition in 2011, so receiving such a prestigious award is a mark of the air carrier’s international status and significance,’ Ural Airlines emphasizes. The awarding board distributed prizes on the basis of a set of

Chelyabinsk Tube Rolling Plant produced a financial performance report for the year 2010. The company’s revenues rose 52% and amounted to 85,401m RUR (against 56,078m in the year 2009). Its EBITDA came to 17,631m RUR, with EBITDA profitability at 21% (against 4,841m RUR and 9%, respectively, a year earlier). The company’s net profit for 2010 came to 4,724m RUR compared with 4,447m RUR worth of losses in 2009.

Ural Airlines keeps buying new aircraft to make its fleet more modern. The company bought one Airbus A321 on operational leasing terms. In fact, the company bought the same kind of airplane at the end of March as well. What is more, Ural Airlines is also planning to buy one more A321 airplane. At the moment, the air carrier operates sixteen Airbus planes, including 12 A320 makes and 4 A31 makes.

Russian Special Alloys Management Company (UK RosSpetsSplav) suggested that the shareholders should pass last year’s dividend on the company’s common stock. The annual general meeting was set for May 30, 2011. The agenda of the meeting also covers issues related to the annual report approval and electing the BOD and the audit committee members.

Nomos-Bank, which accumulated 51.3% of Khanty-Mansiysky Bank’s shares in 2010, is considering buying out the remainder of the stock provided that the share price is appealing, the bank’s IPO memorandum states. ‘It’s possible that we will acquire the remainder of the shares in Khanty-Mansiysky Bank at a good price. Nomos-Bank is planning to buy the shareholding belonging to Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Region-Yugra,’ the memorandum says. Khanty-Mansiysky Autonomous Region-Yugra currently owns a 44.20% shareholding in the bank.

Russia’s Federal Financial Markets Service annulled the license of BNP Paribas Vostok allowing the bank to deal in brokerage operations. The decision was taken after the bank placed a corresponding application with the service and provided the documented proofs of having no unmet liabilities.

The General Director of Ural Electronic Plant Viktor Ulitin is now the proprietor of the company together with the General Director of Mirex Yaroslav Shikolev, the company told UrBC. According to Viktor Ulitin, the two businessmen now own equal shares in the holding. Prior to the new acquisition, the holding belonged to Stanislav Tkhai, who used to be the General Director of both companies. ‘We now fully own the business. Mr. Tkhai is now focused on his position of the General Director of Rosplasma in Kirov,’ Viktor Ulitin said. Once the proprietors of the business have changed, Ulitin became

UrBC, Saint Petersburg, April 11, 2011. Intercos-IV, a member of MMK Group, started working on the second extension to a service maintenance center and a stamping components plant MMK Intercos in Saint Petersburg. All the design and development jobs have been completed by now, with the press machinery already ordered and paid for; the delivery is expected to take place in late April. Besides, the construction jobs and the engineering work have already started. Magnitogorsk Iron & Steel Works (MMK) is also working on making sure the new metal products will be welcomed by their future

OAO Nizhneserginsky Metal Goods Plant (NSMMZ, NLMK’s daughter enterprise) reports a decrease in revenues, gross profit and sales proceeds by 5%, 24%, and 59%, respectively, in the fourth quarter of 2010 compared with the last quarter. The plant’s revenues amounted to 8.8bn RUR in the last quarter of 2010 (compared with 9.3bn RUR in the third quarter), its gross profit came to 1.6bn RUR (compared with 2.2bn RUR in the third quarter), and its sales proceeds reached 512.5m RUR (compared with 1.2bn RUR in the third quarter of 2010).

The gross profit of OOO VIZ-Stal (NLMK’s daughter enterprise) decreased by 10% in the fourth quarter of 2010 compared with the third quarter, whereas the figures for the year 2010 were 35% smaller than in 2009, the company’s financial report (drawn up in accordance with the Russian Accounting Standards) says. Thus, the company’s gross profit reached 3.2bn RUR last year against 5bn in the year 2009. ‘The decrease in profits has to do with the dropping market steel prices and the growing hot-rolled products that serve as raw materials for the electric steel production,’ NLMK reports. VIZ-Stal’s

ОAO Vanadium is going to change its name to EVRAZ Kachkanarsky Ore Mining and Processing Plant. The decision was taken at the company’s shareholder meeting in Kachkanar, Sverdlovsk Region. The company’s new full name runs as Joint Stock Company «EVRAZ Kachkanarsky Ore Mining and Processing Plant». Its official abbreviation now runs as EVRAZ KGOK.

The net profit of Novolipetsk Iron & Steel Works (NLMK) dropped by 70% in the fourth quarter of 2010 in comparison with the previous quarter; however, the net profit for the entire year 2010 rose by 35%, the company’s financial report (drawn up in accordance with the Russian Accounting Standards) says. In the fourth quarter of the year, the profit came to 4.2bn RUR, whereas in the third quarter, the figures reached 13.8bn RUR. In 2010, NLMK’s net profit amounted to 32.38bn RUR. ‘The decrease in the fourth quarter’s net profit was mainly brought about by some incidental factors, including