Otkritie Financial, 20 percent owned by lender VTB, has mothballed plans for an initial public offering and expects markets to remain tough for perhaps five years, its chairman said.
Otkritie, a holding company that owns a brokerage house, fund manager and commercial and investment banks, had been considering floating a 20 percent stake in late 2012.
"Given the current market situation, we can't expect interest in Russian [financial] institutions. We don't plan an IPO in 2012-13 at the moment. It makes no sense," Otkritie chairman Boris Mints said.
Mints, who owns a 30 percent stake in Otkritie and is estimated by Forbes magazine to be worth $600 million, said he would cut his stake in any share offering and expected VTB to do the same.
"The market situation will be tough for at least three to five years," Mints added.
"We will focus on retail expansion to increase its share to 60 percent of our loan portfolio over a two-year time horizon. Now it is around 40 percent," he said.
The group, he added, expected to earn 1.5 billion to 2 billion rubles ($47 million to $65 million) this year in total, down from a net profit of 2.6 billion in 2010, as the commercial bank's loan book is growing more slowly than expected.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.