OREANDA-NEWS. July 21, 2009. The National Depository Center (NDC), Russia's only settlement depository servicing the full range of debt and equity securities of Russian issuers, today reports its operating results for 1H 2009. The value of securities on deposit with NDC as of 30 June, 2009 amounted to RUB4.7 trillion. This is 13.81% more than on 31 December, 2008 (RUB4.13 trillion). As of 30 June, 2009 growth of the aggregate nominal value of corporate securities on deposit with NDC against the same period of 2008 reached 14.58%. The increase in the aggregate nominal value of Eurobonds of the Russian Federation and of corporate Eurobonds amounted to 280.49%; and aggregate nominal value of UIT units rose 49.89%.

The total number of securities on deposit with NDC increased 61% (from 1.425 trillion items as of 30 June, 2008 to 2.293 trillion as of 30 June, 2009). NDC's turnover (the market value of securities transferred in inventory operations) for 1H 2009 amounted to RUB%26.72 trillion or 6.97% less than for the same period of 2008 (RUB28.722 trillion). The number of inventory operations against the same period of 2008 decreased by 8.1% to 1,164,366 operations including 926,542 operations with shares (79.57% of all operations). The number of depository accounts since the beginning of 2009 increased 4.85% to 1,860 accounts (5.1% more than in 2008).

Total number of issues of securities serviced decreased by 3.5% against 1H 2008 and amounted to 2,758 issues. However the number of issuers whose securities are serviced amounted to 1,366 companies. This is 3.48% more than for 1H 2008.

NDC retains its leading position as a paying agent on corporate and regional bonds. In late June 2009 NDC's share in the market for paying agent services reached 29.11% on the basis of nominal value of corporate and regional bond issues. Despite bond issue defaults, decreases in number and amounts of bond coupon and redemption payments NDC as a paying agent took 38 bond issues by 15 issuers for servicing in January-June 2009. The number of bond issues serviced by NDC as a paying agent reached 269 issues by 190 issuers. The amount of coupon and redemption payments through NDC as a paying agent on regional and corporate bonds did not change against 1H 2008: in 1H 2009 NDC conducted 317 payments for RUB58.652 billion (against 317 payments for RUB56.693 billion for 1H 2008).

As Russia's national numbering agency NDC assigned international ISIN and CFI codes to 153 Russian securities in 1H 2009. NDC withdrew ISIN codes from 121 Russian securities.

As of 30 June, 2009, NDC received and processed approximately 27,525 requests on financial instruments (including requests on the same instrument sent by different clients). In the course of processing, the company determined that there were requests for information on 10,165 instruments. It was determined that 695 instruments did not have CFI codes including 208 instruments which also did not have ISIN codes.

Some 244 instruments had CFI codes which did not conform to ISO 10962 and the Federal Financial Markets Service’s qualification requirements (“Provision for Foreign Financial Instruments as Securities” registered in the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation on 11 December, 2007 under 10673 registration number and approved by FFMS Order #07-105/pz-n of Oct. 23, 2007). Another 9,226 instruments had CFI codes which conform to the FFMS qualification requirements for foreign financial instruments. Thus in comparison with last year's results the number of foreign financial instruments corresponding to qualification requirements rose 12.8% for 1H 2009 (8,179 foreign financial instruments as of 31 December, 2008). The number of foreign financial instruments which do not correspond to qualification requirements decreased 31.71% for 1H 2009.