Support The Moscow Times!

Barclays Sells Retail Unit

British bank Barclays agreed to sell its Russian retail business to Igor Kim and plans to sign a deal in the coming days, two banking sources said Monday.

Any deal is likely to result in a painful loss for Barclays, which agreed in March 2008 to buy Expobank for $745 million, four times its book value, before the global crisis slashed sector valuations to a fraction of that level.

Kim has a fortune estimated by Forbes magazine at $500 million. Kim is a shareholder in midsized MDM Bank with an 11 percent stake he acquired after merging his URSA bank with MDM three years ago. The united lender is now Russia's 15th largest by assets.

(Reuters)

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more