28th Dec 2012 06:00
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 28, 2012
SISTEMA ACQUIRES 50% OF FINANCIAL ALLIANCE LLC
Moscow, Russia - December 28, 2012 - Sistema JSFC ("Sistema", the "Group" or the "Company") (LSE: SSA), the largest publicly-traded diversified holding company in Russia and the CIS, today announces that it has acquired 50% of the authorised capital of Financial Alliance LLC ("Financial Alliance"), a professional railcar operator, from ANK Bashneft JSC ("Bashneft"), Sistema's subsidiary. This transaction is in line with Bashneft's strategy to divest its non-core assets. Bashneft acquired 50% of the authorised capital of Financial Alliance in August 2012 by transferring its fleet of approximately 4500 railcars to it.
The total amount of the deal is set at RUB 3.41 billion (approximately US$ 110 million). An independent valuation of Financial Alliance was conducted by Ernst & Young.
Mikhail Shamolin, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sistema, commented: "The acquisition of 50% of the authorised capital of Financial Alliance enables us to begin the consolidation of the Group's rail transportation assets. This will provide additional momentum for the development of these assets and increase the efficiency of the decision-making process".
Financial Alliance LLC is a joint venture of Sistema JSFC and a group representing the company's management team. Financial Alliance owns, leases and rents approximately 12,000 railroad tankers and open railcars. The company's core activities are management of its own and leased railcar fleet, as well as provision of freight services (operating) and subleasing.
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For further information, please visit www.sistema.com or contact:
| Investor Relations Evgeniy Chuikov Tel.: +7 (495) 692 1100 | Public Relations Vsevolod Sementsov Tel.:+7 (495) 730 1705 |
Sistema is the largest publicly-traded diversified holding company in Russia and the CIS, which invests in and is a major shareholder of companies serving over 100 million customers in the sectors of telecommunications, high technology, oil and energy, radars and aerospace, banking, retail, mass-media, tourism and healthcare services. Founded in 1993, the company reported revenues of US$ 8.8 billion for the third quarter of 2012, and total assets of US$ 46.3 billion as at September 30, 2012. Sistema's global depository receipts are listed under the symbol "SSA" on the London Stock Exchange. Sistema's ordinary shares are listed under the symbol "AFKS" on the MICEX-RTS Stock Exchange, and under the symbol "SIST" on the Moscow Stock Exchange (MSE). Sistema was ranked number 315 in the 2011 edition of the Fortune Global 500 list. Website: www.sistema.com
The Company is not an investment company, and is not and will not be registered as such, under the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940.
Some of the information in this press release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of Sistema. You can identify forward looking statements by terms such as "expect," "believe," "anticipate," "estimate," "intend," "will," "could," "may" or "might" the negative of such terms or other similar expressions. We wish to caution you that these statements are only predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. We do not intend to update these statements to reflect events and circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. Many factors could cause the actual results to differ materially from those contained in our projections or forward-looking statements, including, among others, general economic conditions, our competitive environment, risks associated with operating in Russia, rapid technological and market change in our industries, as well as many other risks specifically related to Sistema and its operations.
This document does not constitute or form part of any offer or invitation to sell or issue, or any solicitation of any offer to purchase or subscribe for, any shares or other securities of JSFC Sistema and/or any of its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, nor shall any part of it nor the fact of its distribution form part of or be relied on in connection with any contract or investment decision relating thereto, nor does it constitute a recommendation regarding the shares or securities of JSFC Sistema and/or any of its subsidiaries and affiliated companies.
Copyright Business Wire 2012
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