OREANDA-NEWS. March 10, 2009. Prominvestbank will be among five largest Ukrainian banks. These were the plans Vnesheconombank Chairman Vladimir Dmitriev told about at a news conference.

“We want the Bank to be among five largest banks”, he said answering questions.

VEB’s investment in the Ukrainian asset is a strategic decision, so Prominvest will not be resold, assured V. Dmitriev. According to him Prominvestbank is tasked with carrying on expansion in the Ukrainian market for banking services. And it’s not a matter of purchasing other banks but of expanding the Bank’s customer base. At the same time, an opportunity of affiliating the Bank “National Credit” with Prominvestbank is being considered. A decision is to be made after analyzing the financial and economic standing of the Bank “National Credit”.

V. Dmitriev dismissed an opinion by a number of experts that VEB would assist Russian banks in buying up Prominvestbank’s customers after putting them in a difficult financial situation. Those who arrive at this sort of conclusions in earnest know nothing of Vnesheconombank, its strategy and its Supervisory Board’s policies, said VEB’s Chairman. “We didn’t have such intentions and will never have them”, he added. The Russian investor is not interested in changing shareholders’ structure. V. Dmitriev spoke highly about the Bank’s former head Vladimir Matvienko saying that he was named Honorary President of Prominvestbank and that he might be still useful for the company. VEB confirmed that a final tranche of 285 million dollars out of the credit worth 1 billion dollars, which was granted to Prominvestbank for a period of 3 years, would be released in the second quarter. Prominvestbank has already received two tranches of 715 million dollars. V. Dmitriev said that the Russian Bank was ready to provide support to Prominvestbank through   second-tier credits and capital.

Prominvestbank temporary administrator Vladimir Krotjuk said that Vnesheconombank owns 75%+ 3 shares of Prominvestbank, the Company SLAV AG (Austria) owns 14.8% as a beneficiary, the Matvienko family owns 5.2%, remaining shareholders own 5%. According to him, out of 7 billion grivnas that the Ukraine National Bank extended to Prominvestbank for refinancing, 2 billion grivnas were made available for 6 months with a prolongation option, 5 billion – for a year.