OREANDA-NEWS. March 11, 2010. In line with the terms governing the Bank’s U-Super Prime lending option, the working capital loan is repayable over a three year period at 13.7% APR

Uniastrum Bank offers corporate clients a special lending program called U-Super Prime, whose minimum loan amount is either Rb 30 mn or USD 1 mn (or the Euro equivalent). Without doubt, U-Super Prime’s most attractive feature is its customer-friendly interest rates, which begin at just 13.7% APR for ruble-denominated credit and at 10.7% APR for loans issued in foreign currency, with an arrangement fee equaling 2.7% of the principal. A U-Super Prime loan can be used for any purpose, such as, among others, replenishing working capital (for a period of up to 5 years, with mandatory payments just once every 12 months) or for investments (up to 10 years, subject to an agreed payment schedule). The scheme is open to enterprises that have been operating for at least 2 years and have no negative credit history.

September 2009 marked the start of sustained growth in demand for business loans, resulting in healthy incremental growth for Uniastrum’s corporate credit portfolio, which expanded 64% in FY09, tipping the scales at Rb 35.7 bn as of year-start 2010.

“We regard Uniastrum as a reliable partner,” says a spokesperson for Irtysh Shipping Company. “What makes the Bank so appealing to us are its competitive rates and flexible options individually tailored to the client’s business. We also rate very highly the professional, business-like attitude of Uniastrum staff, as well as their readiness to help and general friendliness.”

Irtysh Shipping Company is the biggest water transport company in Siberia, shipping cargos and passengers from the border with Kazakhstan to the Arctic Ocean. Today Irtysh SC’s business mix includes cargo and passenger carrying operations, freight-forwarding services, ship repairs, ship- and machine building, construction, installation, start-up, adjustment, and finishing operations, as well as ship and float towing. The company’s shipment capacity is sufficiently large to enable it to transport simultaneously 100,000 t of bulk oil and 100,000 t of dry freight.

Looking ahead to the tapping of the hydrocarbon fields on the Yamal Peninsula, Irtysh Shipping Company aims carve itself a share of the related transportation market. To this end, it has already drawn up estimates of how much it can ship to locations designated by the Administration of the Yamalo-Nenetsk Autonomous Region and Gazprom. Moving forward, Irtysh SC’s main business focus will be shipping cargos and passengers by inland and river sea ships in the Ob- Irtysh Basin and in the northern section of the Yenisey Basin, ship and float towing, as well as loading and unloading freight using floating cranes. Future earnings will come from payment for shipping and other services. The development of hydrocarbon fields on the Yamal Peninsula brings with it an opportunity to handle new traffic flows. Current plans involve continuing work on upgrading and reequipping the company’s fleet (a projected 866 tankers and 646 passenger ships).