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Gazprom mulls yuan bond issue

Gazprom and Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBS) also discussed the prospects of organizing trade and corporate financing
Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller  EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV
Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller
© EPA/MAXIM SHIPENKOV

MOSCOW, October 14. /TASS/. Gazprom held talks with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBS) to discuss the possibility of issuing yuan-denominated bonds and organizing a system of ruble-yuan settlements, the Russian gas giant said on Tuesday.

Gazprom’s statement comes after a meeting between Gazprom CEO Alexey Miller and ICBS head Jiang Jianqing. Gazprom and ICBS also discussed the prospects of organizing trade and corporate financing, the statement said.

Gazprom Deputy CEO and head of the gas monopoly’s financial and economic department Andrey Kruglov said in 2011 that Gazprom was interested in borrowings in the Chinese currency.

In June 2014, Kruglov said that Gazprom was in talks on the company’s listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and considered floating bonds denominated in the yuan or Singapore dollars. “We have started working on it,” Kruglov said at the time, adding such an agreement could be signed beginning from autumn.

Gazprom’s external borrowings for 2014 are planned at 90 billion rubles ($2.2 billion at the current exchange rate). In February, Gazprom floated seven-year series 35 Eurobonds worth €750 million with a yield of 3.6% per annum. Gazprom’s euronote program was launched in 2003. Gazprom has increased the program’s volume from $30 billion to $40 billion.

Gazprom’s Global Depositary Receipts are included in the quotation list of the Singapore Stock Exchange. The Russian gas giant’s equities are traded on the Moscow and St. Petersburg Stock Exchanges. Gazprom’s Depositary Receipts for shares are traded on the London Stock Exchange, the Moscow Stock Exchange, the US over-the-counter market, the Berlin and Frankfurt Stock Exchanges.

{article_photo:754144:'Contract on gas supplies to China by eastern route comes into effect — Gazprom CEO':'right':'50'}Russia, China agree on 150 billion yuan swap line

The Central Bank of Russia (CBR) and the People’s Bank of China agreed on Monday to open a yuan-ruble swap line to further promote bilateral trade and investment between the neighboring countries, the CBR said in a statement.

The swap line, which will allow both countries to use each other’s currencies without the need to buy them on the foreign exchange markets, is worth 150 billion yuans and will be open for three years. The agreement may be prolonged with the consent of the parties.

“The agreement on the swap in the national currencies that has been signed between the Bank of Russia and the People’s Bank of China will contribute to developing bilateral economic relations through the expansion of the possibilities for financing trade and direct investment, as well as a broader use of Russian rubles and Chinese yuans in international trade and investment activity,” the statement said.

“The Russian-Chinese agreement will also provide a possibility, if necessary, to raise international liquidity. Therefore, it will be an additional instrument of ensuring financial stability,” the statement said.