Companies@UA: База компаний Украины

Kyiv, July 30 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The need of Kyiv-based BIG Energy Bank in additional funds is estimated at UAH 400-500 million, the bank's temporary administrator, Oleksandr Klymenko, has said.

"The bank needs UAH 400-500 million to settle all problems. New investors or present shareholders could issue the funds, or the bank can receive them as the NBU [National Bank of Ukraine] refinancing or the sale of a part of the bank's assets... There are two investors, and the likelihood of each to enter the bank is fifty to fifty percents. One company is from Latvia and another one – from Russia," he said in an interview with the Delo newspaper issued on Wednesday.

The temporary administrator also said that two nuclear power plants and six regional electricity supply companies could come back to the bank for servicing. They were clients of BIG Energy Bank before problems appear: the finance flow of the companies amounted to some UAH 10 billion per year.

Klymenko said that the issue of property rights on the bank has been settled.

"Until recently, a unique situation was seen in the structure of the bank's shareholders – instead of 100% of shares, the register of the bank contained 119% shares due to the fault of the registrar – Ukrenergoreestr. We've settled the situation in courts. At present, a 61% stake in the bank belongs to Hryhoriy and Ihor Surkis and a 30% stake – to Russian businessman Konstantin Grigorishin," he said.

He said that Surkis brothers showed their readiness to invest in the bank, although they have not defined the size of investment.

"This would not be the whole sum the bank needed, it's for sure," Klymenko said.

The temporary administrator said that BIG Energy Bank expects to receive UAH 250 million from the NBU.

OJSC BIG Energy Bank was founded in 1993. The bank by April 1, 2009, ranked 71st among the 182 operating banks in Ukraine in terms of overall assets, estimated at UAH 1.264 billion, according to the National Bank of Ukraine.