Page 28 - bne_Tech_06_2018

Telecom
June 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 28
Russia's MegaFon expands IT assets with Ananyev's Technoserv
Russia's mobile major MegaFon expanded its IT portfolio by acquiring 100% in TechnoInvestProekt (Tehnoserv) from ex-owner of bailed Promsvyaz- bank (PSB) Alexei Ananyev, Interfax and Vedomo- sti reported on June 4.
Technoserv is one of the assets of embattled banker brothers Ananyevs, and among others controls Tehnoserv AC and software developer Reksoft. In May its capital was increased to RUB767mn, according to Vedomosti.
MegaFon, along with other telecom operators such as MTS, could be emerging as a large investor into Russian high tech and digital market as the tel- ecom numbers in Russia started to recover in 2018.
Most recently MegaFon formed a MF Technolo- gies joint venture with Russia's third largest bank Gazprombank and USM Holdings of billionaire and tech investor Alisher Usmanov. The JV will co-own
Russian internet services major Mail.ru. MegaFon is expected to receive $247.5mn in total and does not plan to sell the remaining 10% in Mail.Ru Group.
The new joint venture plans to develop banking products and a financial online platform, potentially competing with Russian state behemoth Sberbank that has ambitious digitally driven strategy.
Aton Equity saw the deal as positive, on May 8 not- ing that the deal price provides an estimated 29% premium to the current market price of Mail.ru.
According to the deal terms, MegaFon will trans- fer 5.23% of its economic and 58.87% of the voting rights to the joint venture and will then receive 45% of the new company. Gazprombank will acquire 35% of the joint venture and will pay $157.5mn, Rostec state technology agency 11% for $49.5mn, and USM 9% for $40.5mn.
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