Ukrainian Sense Bank will not be affected by the sale of russian Alfa-Bank. Exclusive by Mind
Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven withdraw from the russian Alfa-Bank
Mind has obtained exclusive details of the deal to sell a stake in russian Alfa-Bank. The bank's stakeholders Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven are selling their stakes in Alfa-Bank. The buyer will be Andrey Kosogov, a partner of Mr. Fridman and Mr. Aven. He owns 40.1% of ABH Holdings, which owns Alfa-Bank. Last year, German Khan and Alexey Kuzmichev transferred their stakes to him.
This was reported by the Financial Times the day before.
Mikhail Fridman confirmed the sale of the asset in a comment to Mind. "The holding company is selling 100% of the russian bank. Thus, I cease to be a stakeholder in the bank," Mr. Fridman said.
According to him, the deal does not affect Ukraine's Sense Bank (formerly Alfa-Bank Ukraine – Mind ed.). In an interview with Mind, Sense Bank CEO Alla Komisarenko said that de jure, this institution was not a subsidiary of russia's Alfa-Bank from the very beginning. "Legally and factually, we have always been a Ukrainian bank, so the sanctions against Alfa-Bank did not affect us," she said. The Ukrainian bank's ultimate stakeholder, Luxembourg-based ABH Holdings SA (ABHH), has never been subject to sanctions.
As a reminder, Mikhail Fridman and Petr Aven are under sanctions from a number of Western countries, as are many other businessmen who own companies in russia. The purpose of the restrictions is to put pressure on influential russian businessmen to force the russian authorities to stop the aggression.
FT journalists suggest that the deal being prepared will allow russia's Alfa-Bank to be removed from the sanctions list.
Andrey Kosogov is not subject to Western sanctions.
"Our other companies are not tied to the bank in any way," Mikhail Fridman told Mind.
Alfa-Bank is russia's fourth largest bank by assets.
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