Bloomberg reports that off the coast of Greece in neutral waters, Russian oil tankers daily transfer millions of barrels of Russian oil to tankers of other states for its further delivery, bypassing all EU sanctions. The Greek authorities specify that all events take place in neutral waters, where the possibility of their intervention is excluded. @banksta
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Since the beginning of the year, the number of transactions in the primary housing market in Moscow has fallen by 34%, in the Moscow region – by 38%, in St. Petersburg – by 4%, in the Leningrad region – by 29%, said Alexander Andrianov, First Vice President of GloraX. Over the year, compared to January 2022, this figure decreased by 23% in Moscow, in St. Petersburg – by 29%, in the Leningrad and Moscow regions – by 24% and 41%, respectively, the developer added. According to the federal company “Etazhi”, activity in the primary market in Russia at the beginning of the year decreased by 34% compared to December last year, and in the secondary market – by 42%. A representative of one of the largest development companies in the Russian Federation has similar data: the demand for new buildings in January 2023 fell by 32% compared to December 2022, and by 60% compared to January last year. And according to Avito Real Estate, in January-February 2023, 35.9% fewer citizens were interested in apartments in new buildings than a year ago, and 10% in secondary housing. @banksta
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The Bank of Russia is preparing to cut staff and payroll costs, some payments have already been canceled. We can talk about the release of about 1 thousand people, that is, the largest optimization since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. Market participants consider the reductions justified, believing that the regulator’s staff is redundant, while some of the operations in the current environment have either disappeared completely or are taking place in significantly smaller volumes. @banksta
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The “restaurant scheme” for cashing out money, which was revealed by Rosfinmonitoring, the Central Bank and the Federal Tax Service, worked on the principle of “acquiring break” – this mechanism gave restaurants the opportunity to report to the buyer in the usual way, but in fact the money was withdrawn from supervision through a structure previously associated with online -casino. During the audit, it turned out that the key link in the scheme was RNKO RIB (Russian Investment Bank), on the basis of which “an expensive infrastructure was created – its own processing, data processing centers, loyal banks were found, an extensive network of terminals for accepting cash payments “. RIB became an agent of a large acquiring bank to attract new customers, and also performed a key function – settlement. At its stage, there was a change in cash flow and payments that came from restaurants went to various cash providers – car dealerships, tour operators, pharmacies. The network included more than 5,000 terminals for accepting cash payments. Three acquiring banks, several intermediate banks and three settlement banks were included in the scheme. The only thing that united all this with each other was the processing infrastructure, functioning on the same computing power as at one time in RNKO RIB, said a source familiar with the audit materials.
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State-owned companies buy planes for effective managers instead of closing holes in civil aviation. Andrey Ryumin’s Federal Grid Company (FGC) has acquired a new SSJ-100 aircraft. Sources estimate the cost of the deal at 3.5-4 billion rubles, and the VIP-cabin layout at about another $10 million. The company already has Bombardier Global, which it does not plan to get rid of. FGC will spend 2.3 billion rubles on the operation of two liners. for three years, although the need for flights has fallen sharply, writes Kommersant. @banksta
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Imports of iPhones from India to Russia more than doubled in 2022, from 70,000 to 165,000 units between May and December. @banksta
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Russian business has invented a new scheme for the withdrawal of capital abroad. Through front companies, unscrupulous companies buy gold and then sell it for cash, thus making it harder to track the movement of assets. The Central Bank sees this as an attempt to launder and withdraw profits abroad, and recommended banks to monitor such transactions. @banksta
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Russian banksters opposed the free transfer limit of 1.4 million rubles to themselves. It was approved by the Central Bank and the State Duma. Now a limit of 300-600 thousand is being discussed, RBC reports. @banksta
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Insider. The main one at home is a Telegram channel of scandals, intrigues and brick investigations. He talks about everything that the TOP developers of Russia have successfully implemented and what they screwed up. So that you are aware of who builds better and where to buy real estate???????? @cool_construction
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“I have a small online store. Why should I pay commission on sales? THEY ARE SO FEW NOW!” ???? We have canceled the commission for payments in online stores and social networks, and also for transfers through the Fast Payment System. And now you don’t have to pay at all? Not for every payment. You can pay for acquiring once a month, the amount depends on the turnover of the store. And is it beneficial? Yes. Up to 40% more profitable than at regular rates from other banks. Where to connect? Right here ???????? @alfabank
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Pay invoices for goods and services via SWIFT and SEPA to Japan, China, Europe, USA without restrictions! → @moneyport Try the MoneyPort parallel invoice payment service and keep doing business as usual. • payments arrive quickly: from several hours to a couple of days • payments without commissions • settlement in any convenient form • payments in USD, EUR, GBP, CNY, JPY, AED and other currencies Subscribe to @moneyport and continue your business without restrictions.
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The Taliban and Russia have agreed to create a $1 billion trade alliance. Together they will develop energy, infrastructure and resource extraction in the Afghan provinces. It is assumed that the Russian side will act as both an investor and a contractor. @banksta
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Since the beginning of 2023, half as many new housing construction projects have started across Russia as in previous periods, due to falling demand, which has not yet been supported even by extending preferential mortgages by the authorities. @banksta
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Along with the next package of sanctions, the anniversary of the SVO and an appeal to the Federal Assembly, a wave of messages came through telegram channels that the Government is offering investors and businesses from friendly countries to simplify access to the Russian stock market. Against this background, experts predict that the simplification of work with foreigners will cause an influx of fresh liquidity and new issuers, which will not only support the Russian market, but also give impetus to its growth and development. Only here are the deadlines for the execution of the document until 2030. Brokers also actively supported the plans of the regulator and the Cabinet. According to them, any foreign capital would be welcome. Recall that at the end of January the President gave a number of instructions following the meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects, one of which concerned an increase in the volume of investments in equity capital in the financial market. And in early February, an initiative was announced to attract foreign investment for the implementation of large long-term projects, primarily in the extraction and processing of minerals, energy, construction, and agriculture. An example of the Konoplex Group of Companies, to which attention is now riveted precisely because of a corporate conflict between shareholders, one of which is a non-resident of Russia; shows how you can make a business profitable in a country in a very specific industry by attracting foreign investment. Back in 2015, Konoplex was formed as an independent business structure that is engaged in the cultivation and processing of technical hemp. The main owner of the agro-industrial holding through the Cypriot company Konoplex Limited is Evgeny Skigin. Initially, the entrepreneur started his business in Holland, where, according to 2018 data, he made a fortune, but after a while he decided to start manufacturing in Russia. Since the attitude towards this type of agricultural plant among compatriots was, to put it mildly, skeptical, Skigin did a lot of work to popularize products from technical hemp on the Russian market. Today, the sown area of ”Konoplex” exceeds 12 thousand hectares (leader in the country), the organization has its own processing resources. For the domestic market, technical hemp can replace, for example, cotton and not only. The scope of application is not limited to the textile industry, agriculture can be used in the medical, cosmetic, food, space, defense, pulp and paper, construction segments of the economy. If not for foreign investment, the issue of cultivating this plant in Russia might have been pushed back for decades, which in the era of import substitution meant the loss of an entire market. It is the influx of investments that contributes to the further development of technologies and the spread of the field of application of this crop in our country.
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From March 6, Raiffeisenbank doubles the minimum amount of currency transfers (up to $10,000). The increase will be different for transfers online and through offices. For online transfers, the equivalent in dollars is used at the exchange rate of the Central Bank, for transfers through a branch – c.u. in the transfer currency. Let me remind you right away about commissions, they have not changed yet. Correspondent banks demand to reduce the number of transfers. @banksta
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Sber, together with the Federal Notary Chamber, has launched electronic powers of attorney. They are already accepted in all bank branches. According to the director of the State Products and Services division of Sber Petr Dneprovsky, the new service has already been tested in a number of pilot regions: “An electronic notarized power of attorney reduces not only the customer journey, but also paper consumption. Now it is enough for a client to draw up a document with a notary, and in an hour a trustee can contact a Sberbank office in any region of the country. It’s fast, convenient and safe.” @banksta
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A journalist in the UK hacked into Lloyds Bank’s identity system with no hacking skills. Many banks in the US and Europe use voice authentication so that customers can log into their account by phone. The journalist uploaded a sample of his voice to the neural network, and with its help he generated answers for a dialogue with the bank. So he got access to his account. The experiment destroys the notion that voice identification provides reliable protection. This method can be used by scammers to penetrate the personal accounts of bank customers – they just need to get a fragment of the recording of the victim’s voice. @banksta
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Zenith Bank will refund money for issuing UnionPay cards and a commission for cash withdrawals abroad after February 24, 2023. So, the bank, which fell under American and British sanctions, decided to support its customers. To everyone who issued UnionPay cards in January and February 2023, the bank will reimburse a commission in the amount of 5 thousand rubles until March 17. Zenith reminded that UnionPay cards work on the territory of Russia: their holders can make purchases, transfers, withdraw cash and replenish the account, as usual. @banksta
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Russia is facing a very sharp drop in revenues from gas exports, which may force it to devalue its currency if it does not find alternative markets for European sales within 2-3 years, analysts at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies say. The decision will ultimately reduce “Russia’s macroeconomic stability,” experts say. @banksta
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ALOR BROKER continues to buy back VEON Holdings Eurobonds ALOR BROKER (ALOR + LLC) invites all holders of the next 7 issues of VEON Holdings Eurobonds to discuss the potential acquisition of these bonds from two options: 1. sell at 100.00% of the face value (+ NKD) and at the same time buy new ruble issues of VimpelCom for the same amount; 2. sell at a discount from the face value (+ ACI). The discount ranges from 79.57% – 92.71% depending on the issue. Owners of corporate bonds of the foreign issuer VEON Holdings must simultaneously comply with 2 conditions: 1. the rights to the Bonds are accounted for by Russian depositories; 2. rights to the Bonds as of 31.01.2023 were accounted for in the Russian infrastructure. ???? Noteholders wishing to discuss the sale are invited to email (email protected) until 10.03.2023 (inclusive). The application must specify the number of Bonds to be sold, the place of storage, the preferred option and the expected date of the transaction. 
Transaction period for the Bonds denominated in US dollars (USD): from 02/27/2023 to 03/15/2023 (inclusive). Settlements will be made in Russian rubles at the exchange rate of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation on the date of the transaction. Transaction period for the Bonds denominated in Russian rubles (RUB): from 03/02/2023 to 03/31/2023 (inclusive). Transactions will be concluded subject to the restrictions established by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 81 of March 1, 2022 “On additional temporary economic measures to ensure the financial stability of the Russian Federation”, as well as other restrictions established by the current legislation and the Bank of Russia. ??????? To learn more
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Since the beginning of 2021, Germany’s national debt has increased 10 times – from 4 to 40 billion euros. “This is money that in the future we will not have enough for other purposes: education, digitalization and investment in climate protection,” said the German finance minister. @banksta
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Orders for durable goods in the United States in January collapsed by 4.5% – this is the largest monthly drop since the introduction of quarantine in 2020. @banksta
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Said-Magomed Azamatov, a native of Chechnya, was detained in Bali on suspicion of robbing information gypsy Yuri Boytsov. In the police, he began to behave aggressively, threatened Boytsov, kicked the table in the investigator’s office and told the information gypsy in Chechen: “Put away the fucking phone, I’ll show you.” Soon Azamatov was released. The local police told Boitsov that there was not enough evidence. Boitsov was beaten and forced to transfer $284,000 worth of bitcoins. According to him, four men did it: an Indonesian in police uniform, a guy in a balaclava and “two men of Caucasian appearance” who were caught on video from surveillance cameras. @banksta
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Banksters from Alpha open a business account for free for those entrepreneurs who are looking for a profitable place to register their business. Cashback up to 5% will be returned for business expenses, and points that can be converted into rubles will be awarded for other expenses. You can also transfer from an IP account to your personal one for free, up to 100,000 rubles per month. @banksta
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Sber Senior Vice President Andrey Belevtsev spoke about how the Technologies block ended 2022. In a very short period of time, 85% of vendors and suppliers stopped working with Russian companies. For the bank, the fact that Sber has long taken a course towards building its own vendor-independent infrastructure played a positive role. Belevtsev also stressed that Sber continues to work on unmanned technologies – last year alone, the bank’s cars traveled 3.5 million km. And the head of Technologies, Sbera, spoke about his attitude to remote work: “There are no compromises for us in terms of ensuring the security of our customers. This is our #1 priority. But where remote work does not conflict with this, we allow work from home.” @banksta
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It seems that the EdTech industry in Russia is entering a new round. See for yourself: during the crisis of 2022, the largest Russian EdTech companies earned 87 billion rubles. At the same time, 40% of them work in the field of “business to business” – that is, they create products for schools and corporations. The second category – “business to consumer” – develops software directly for children and adults. Another interesting thing: we looked at the Smart Ranking rating and it turned out that in the first and second quarters of 2022, Synergy is at the top of the lists in both segments. A good example of how important it is to take into account different audiences is to create projects for both children and schoolchildren who need to prepare for exams, and for adults who want a better profession. In general, the prospect is pleasant: whatever you say, digital tools, together with teachers, make quality education more accessible. @banksta
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The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine arrested a controlling stake in the First Investment Bank, owned by a Russian businessman, president of the Moscow football club CSKA Evgeny Giner. Earlier, the Ukrainian security forces conducted large-scale searches in the office and at the management of Giner Bank. @banksta
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Belgium has frozen Russian assets more than all EU countries – by € 58 billion, writes The Brussels. The restrictions affected 1,789 Russian companies and individuals, and the total amount of blocked transactions related to Russia reached €191 billion. @banksta
