BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

09/04/2008

From AstanaEximBank to BTA Bank

The FINANCIAL -- AstanaEximBank, one of leading players on the financial market of Belarus, announces a change of its name to BTA Bank and rebranding efforts launched in April 2008.

A meeting of General Meeting of Shareholders of AstanaEximBank has approved the rebranding decision. The bank has obtained a permit of the National Bank of Belarus to change its name to BTA Bank CJSC.

The new brand reflects affiliation to Kazakhstan's BTA Bank Group (formerly Bank TuranAlem), a major financial institution in the CIS that passed reregistration and was renamed in early 2008.

The rebranding is a milestone in the BTA Development Strategy that pursues a thriving international banking conglomerate. Thus, member companies of the banking conglomerate will have a single brand, BTA, and will share unified standards of business conduct and a unified approach to clients.

"The name of BTA Bank binds us to follow a high standard business practice. In 2005-2006 we successfully implemented a breakthrough strategy and in 2008 we expect to effect an offensive strategy. What is meant here is an access to regions. The chief goal of BTA Bank in Belarus is to develop a sound regional chain that offers all-purpose banking products. At that, the main emphasis will be made on comfortable services for clients of BTA Bank," said Chief Executive Officer of BTA Bank, Belarus, Sultan Marenov.

As of March 1, 2008 the Bank had equity capital of 39.5 billion ruble (USD18.4 million or 12.2 million euro at the exchange rate of the National Bank of Belarus). Its assets totaled 192.4 billion ruble (USD89.6 million). Pretax profit as of the key date made 1.1 billion ruble (USD0.5 million) compared to 3.1 billion ruble (USD1.5 million) as of December 31, 2007. The loan portfolio of the Bank made 135.7 billion ruble (USD63.2 million) with bad debts accounting for 0.3%. Entities (except for banks) deposited a total of 57.9 billion ruble (USD27 million) with the Bank.

Stockholders. Currently, a major shareholder of AstanaEximBank is BTA Bank JSC, Kazakhstan, with a 49% stake. Management company TuranAlem Capital JSC and two investment companies also holds stakes in the Bank. AEB assets are to be consolidated with BTA Bank JSC this year. Moreover, BTA Bank JSC, Kazakhstan, intends to raise its stake in AstanaEximBank up to 99%.

Source:

http://finchannel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=10184&Itemid=47

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