Install

Get the latest updates as we post them — right on your browser

Today's paper. Last Updated: 05/25/2012

S&P Says Capital Might Not Suffice

Bloomberg

Most of Russia's top 30 lenders don't have sufficient capital to support expected lending growth this year because of their "high risk appetites" and lack of diversification, Standard & Poor's said.

"Current capitalization levels will continue to provide only a moderate cushion against the risks embedded in Russian banks' balance sheets," S&P analysts led by Sergei Voronenko said in a statement Monday.

Russian lenders raised deposit rates last quarter to lure new funds as interbank borrowing costs soared to a two-year high amid uncertainty over Europe's debt crisis. Total Russian bank lending will probably grow 20 percent this year, Deputy Economic Development Minister Andrei Klepach said Feb. 3.

Still, Russian banks have better "quality of capital" than some of their developed market peers, S&P said, and will probably maintain "acceptable" capital levels over the next two to three years.

The Central Bank provided a total 20 trillion rubles ($671 billion) to lenders in short-term funding via repurchase auctions in the fourth quarter as supplies of cash dried up, according to data on its website.

The overnight MosPrime rate banks say they charge to lend to one another in rubles jumped to 6.46 percent Dec. 22, the highest since December 2009.

The Central Bank has provided about 1 trillion rubles in repo auctions so far this year. The MosPrime rate climbed seven basis points, or 0.07 percentage points, to 4.67 percent Monday, down 179 basis points from last year's peak.





This article has no comments.

Be the first to leave a comment


Discussion
The Moscow Times welcomes your comments and invites you to discuss topics with other readers. Your comment will be posted automatically to enable a live discussion. If you aren't familiar with our comments policy, you can read it here.

If you're a registered user, you can start typing your comment below. If not, take a moment to sign up. and then return to the article.

If your comment doesn't appear, contact us by using our web form.

Comments

Comments via Facebook



Also in Business

Protest and Chaos Seen in Kudrin-Ordered Study

Continued protests in Russia will likely lead to a violent backlash or chaotic changes in the government, according to a new study ordered by former Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin from the same think tank that predicted the street protests months before they began.

Initiative Brings Khamatova Joy and Frustration

The Soviet maxim "initiative is punishable" is only half true for actress Chulpan Khamatova.

Medvedev Divides the Burden Amongst His Deputies

Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday allocated responsibilities between his deputies, saying solving all the issues on his own would be too great a burden.

Rotenberg Gets Road Contracts by Decree

Before leaving the Kremlin, former president and current Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev gave Arkady Rotenberg's Mostotrest an extravagant gift of several tens of billions of rubles' worth of contracts for road construction in Moscow without competition.

Luxury Hotels Compete to Raise Service

In 2007-10, the Radisson Royal Hotel, Moscow (formerly the Hotel Ukraina) underwent a $300 million transformation from Soviet behemoth to internationally branded luxury hotel. Now the hotel is rebuilding its training system to bring customer service up to world-class levels, with a "Russian twist."

Mid-Level Ready to Take In Tourists

Tourism industry website TripAdvisor recently ranked Moscow fourth on its list of "15 destinations on the rise," and the Moscow government will invest $11 million into developing tourism in the city this year. The capital is also undergoing a massive beautification project to increase the total area of city parks fivefold in the next five years.



print


Comments

This article has no comments.

Be the first to leave a comment





Most Read
MarketGid