OREANDA-NEWS.  On 08 July 2008 was announced, that Concorde Capital opened the doors to its new Moscow office, becoming the first Ukrainian investment company to do so. The new office, in conjunction with the existing Kyiv post, will allow Concorde Capital to expand operations on the Russian market.

"In 2007, Concorde Capital became the leader in Ukraine by the number of completed M&A transactions, private placements and IPOs. Having succeeded on this front, we are moving abroad, primarily to Russia,” said Concorde Capital’s Managing Director for Investment Banking Vitaly Strukov.

Concorde Capital's new Moscow office, together with the company’s Ukrainian team, is currently working on two private placement deals in the real estate and retail sectors.

In Russia, Concorde Capital plans to focus on corporate financing, targeting businesses with the low to mid-size capitalizations (around USD 100 mln to USD 1 bln). According to Strukov, this niche is underserved by large Russian and global investment banks, but clients in this segment would like to receive similar level of high-quality services and an individual approach.

The Moscow office will also be active in transaction services, and is scheduled to execute at least five deals this year.

Since the beginning of 2008, Concorde Capital has already completed two M&A deals in Russia: the acquisition of a 76% stake in Ostankinsky Dairy by Ukraine’s Milkiland for USD 41 mln, and the sale of a 100% stake in the Myagkov vodka retail business by Russia's Overline Group to Synergy Group (the transaction value has not been disclosed).

In 2009, Concorde Capital expects to receive a license and launch securities trading operations in Russia, allowing it to render a wide range of both investment banking and brokerage services.

According to Concorde Capital CEO Igor Mazepa, "Ukraine remains our top-priority market, accounting for the lion’s share of Concorde Capital’s business. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian market is becoming more competitive. In order to maintain our rapid pace of growth, we are pursuing a strategy of both strengthening our position on the Ukrainian market and expanding into other regions."

Concorde Capital is a full service investment company operating on the Ukrainian, Russian and CIS financial markets. In 2008, Thomson Reuters Extel’s Focus CIS Survey rated Concorde Capital the Leading Brokerage Firm in Ukraine for the second consecutive year. Institutional Investor named Concorde Capital's team among the top-3 covering Ukraine and top-10 on European emerging markets. Concorde Capital is a leader in private placements and M&A deals. In 2007, Concorde Capital attracted over USD 1 bln for Ukrainian companies. Concorde’s role in the sale of Elektron Bank to Austria’s Volksbank International earned the company Adam Smith Institute’s “Best Ukrainian M&A deal of 2007” award.