Sberbank has financed 500 bln rubles in M&A transactions in 2023

VLADIVOSTOK. Sept 11 (Interfax) - Sberbank has financed transactions for mergers and acquisitions exceeding 500 billion rubles since the beginning of 2023, Anatoly Popov, Sberbank's Deputy Executive Board Chairman, told reporters at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

"In addition to loans, equity and mezzanine financing products are actively used for financing M&A," Popov said.

Sberbank's signed mezzanine transactions have totaled 472 billion rubles since the start of 2023, and the portfolio of mezzanine transactions currently exceeds 690 billion rubles, Popov added.

Popov reported in mid-June 2023 that Sberbank had financed M&A transactions exceeding 220 billion rubles.

Popov last week said that Sberbank was assisting clients to fill vacated market niches owing to foreign players exiting the Russian market. "A large number of transactions [for purchasing Russian assets from foreign players] are under discussion, and they number in the dozens. We cannot cite any specifically, because we have non-disclosure agreements (NDA) and a number of other issues. The transactions are under discussion, and they are constantly being clarified, though only a few come to fruition, particularly because they could affect the ruble exchange rate," Popov said in an interview with Interfax.