OREANDA-NEWS. March 07, 2012. EuroWeek – a weekly financial publication - awarded METALLOINVEST the first prize in the “Russian Deal of the Year” category of the EuroWeek Leveraged Finance & Syndicated Loans Award 2011 for the closing of a USD 3.1 billion syndicated loan. BNP Paribas and Deutsche Bank acted as the Initial Mandated Lead Arrangers (“IMLAs”) and Bookrunners for the facility, which became the first syndicated loan of significant size raised after the recent financial crisis, and the largest pre-export syndicated financing in Russian metals and mining sector.

Winners of the EuroWeek Leveraged Finance & Syndicated Loans Award are selected by representatives of the international banking community.

In addition to IMLAs and Bookrunners, the following banks joined as Mandated Lead Arrangers and Bookrunners upon the closing of the deal (in order of commitment size): Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Banking, ING Bank N.V., Credit Agricole CIB, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft, The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd, Credit Suisse AG, Natixis, OJSC Nordea Bank, The Royal Bank of Scotland NV and UniCredit Bank. WestLB AG (London Branch) joined the facility as Mandated Lead Arranger, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation Europe Limited, Merrill Lynch International Bank Limited, Sberbank of Russia and Intesa Sanpaolo Bank Ireland Plc - as Senior Lead Arrangers. Standard Bank Plc and Morgan Stanley Bank International Limited acted as Lead Arrangers with J.P. Morgan plc joining as Arranger and JSCB Bank of China (Eluosi) - as Lead Manager.

Pavel Mitrofanov, Deputy CEO and CFO of METALLOINVEST, commented: “The closing of the syndicated pre-export facility demonstrated the Company’s strong financial position and high quality of its assets. We are pleased that our work was recognised by the international banking community and EuroWeek magazine.”

EuroWeek is one of the leading business publications covering global capital markets since 1987. The magazine provides up-to-date information and comments on financial markets. EuroWeek awards the best loan transactions since 1992, and, starting from 2003, organises a dinner for EuroWeek Leveraged Finance & Syndicated Loans Award attended by representatives of the leading international banks. Over 360 loan market bankers attended the ceremony in 2011.