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US Fed rate raise won’t affect terms of placement of Russia’s Eurobonds — minister

Earlier Siluanov said that Russia’s Finance Ministry plans to place Eurobonds in 2017 with the help of Russian banks

MOSCOW, March 16. /TASS/. Raising the base interest rate by the US Federal Reserve System will not affect the possible terms of placement of Russia’s sovereign Eurobonds, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told reporters.

"Everything is going according to the plan," he said.

On Wednesday, the US Federal Reserve System acting as the national central bank raised the base interest rate by 25 basis points to 0.75-1%.

The Fed rate increase was expected by experts.

In its statement the Federal Open Market Committee said that the raise of the base interest rate does not mean faster normalization of monetary policy in the United States and that this process will be gradual. In accordance with this, two more rate hikes are expected this year and three in 2018.

Earlier Siluanov said that Russia’s Finance Ministry plans to place Eurobonds in 2017 with the help of Russian banks.

Deputy Finance Minister Sergei Storchak said that the placement of Russian Eurobonds is possible in spring of 2017.

According to head of the debt department of the Finance Ministry Konstantin Vyshkovsky, Russia will change the order of selection of the organizers of the placement of Eurobonds and send proposals only to those banks that will agree to participate in the placement in advance.

Last year, leading Western banks refused to place Russian Eurobonds.

Nevertheless, Russia successfully placed two Eurobonds issues in May and September for the sums of $1.75 bln and $1.25 respectively. The maturity date of both issues is 2026.