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"This super pre-emptive right will work only in specific cases, with specific companies," Chebeskov said on the sidelines of a financial forum in Moscow on Nov. 14. "The idea was that this concerns only those strategic companies in which the state already has a share," Chebeskov said. The lack of clarity and uncertain timeline highlights the unpredictable nature of regulatory changes facing investors and businesses seeking to adjust their exposure to Russia. This compares with net outflows of around $48 million in March 2022 and $69 million in February this year. Western investors have already struggled to get assets out of Russia.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Ivan Chebeskov, Chebeskov, Rybalkin, Tskhakaya, Thomas J Brock, Carlsberg's, Putin, JP Morgan, JPM, Vijay Marolia, Brock, Sinead Cruise, Alexander Marrow, Elena Fabrichnaya, Darya Korsunskaya, Jane Merriman Organizations: Ukraine LONDON, Reuters, Nato, Dyakin, Partners, Kaiser Consulting, Investors, Morningstar Direct, Federal Property Agency, Assets, Deutsche Bank, Regal Point Capital, HSBC, Expobank, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Moscow, Russian, Magnit, London

This means there are practically no workers left in the economy, the situation with personnel is really very acute," Nabiullina said. "For further growth of the Russian economy, increased labour productivity is needed." Inflation pressure peaked in the third quarter of this year, Nabiullina said, but annual inflation will only start decreasing next spring. The central bank's forecasts suggest that reaching the 4% target by end-2024 will be a tough ask. Nabiullina said another rate hike may be required before the bank can start reducing borrowing costs again.

Persons: Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Nabiullina, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Alison Williams, Gareth Jones Organizations: Central Bank Governor, State Duma, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Moscow, Ukraine, State, Russian, London

National flag flies over the Russian Central Bank headquarters in Moscow, Russia May 27, 2022. On Friday, it gave hawkish guidance that it would consider further rate increases at upcoming meetings and said inflationary risks remained significant. The central bank adjusted its year-end forecast for inflation to 6.0-7.0% from 5.0-6.5%. "Russia's central bank is a hawkish institution that takes its commitment to inflation fighting seriously," said Senior Emerging Markets Economist Liam Peach. Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina will shed more light on the bank's forecasts and policy in a media briefing at 1200 GMT.

Persons: Maxim Shemetov, jacking, Liam Peach, Central Bank Governor Elvira Nabiullina, Alexander Marrow, Elena Fabrichnaya, Darya Korsunskaya, Maria Kiselyova, Amruta Khandekar, Andrew Osborn, William Maclean, Catherine Evans Organizations: Russian Central Bank, REUTERS, Kremlin, Capital Economics, Central Bank Governor, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Russian, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine, London

The logo of Russian technology giant Yandex is on display at the company's headquarters in Moscow, Russia December 9, 2022. Moscow already demands a 50% discount on all foreign deals after consultants selected by the Russian government have valued the business. But three people familiar with the exit process for foreign companies said that some deals are facing demands for additional discounts before the government gives a green light. Another person, who works on M&A transactions and with foreign companies, said deals exceeding $100 million were at particular risk of being denied. In its biannual financial stability review, the central bank said foreign companies under pressure to leave Russia were doing so on "unfavourable" terms.

Persons: Evgenia, Carlsberg's, Intesa, Vladimir Putin's, Suren Gortsunyan, Rybalkin, Gortsunyan, Alexey Kupriyanov, Elena Fabrichnaya, Alexander Marrow, Victor Goury, Josephine Mason, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Heineken, Arnest, Companies, Nasdaq, Russia, Dyakin, Partners, Aspring, Nato, Thomson Locations: Moscow, Russia, Ukraine, MOSCOW, Russian, London, Laffont, Gdansk

"But the situation is changing and it is possible that a window of opportunity will appear before the end of this year, then we will issue yuan bonds." Russian firms placed bonds worth 1.7 billion yuan ($237.5 million) in May. The bank has issued 140 billion roubles ($1.7 billion) worth of rouble-denominated bonds this year, he said, and would continue to do so at the right price. The head of Sberbank rival VTB last week told Reuters Russia's economy had adapted to sanctions. Sberbank's record first-quarter profit of 357.2 billion roubles featured no one-time revenues, meaning profits should grow as the business does, Skvortsov said.

Persons: Taras Skvortsov, Skvortsov, VTB, Alexander Marrow, Elena Fabrichnaya, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Reuters, Monetary Fund, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine MOSCOW, Ukraine

MOSCOW, April 24 (Reuters) - Russia should consider taking over and managing the assets of foreign firms such as Fortum (FORTUM.HE) in Russia, giving them back only when sanctions are lifted, Andrei Kostin, the CEO of state-owned bank VTB (VTBR.MM), said on Monday. "Completing the exit is likely to take further time and there still are significant uncertainties – including regulatory approvals – related to the ongoing divestment process," Fortum said in February 2023. Kostin said Russia should consider taking over foreign companies' assets, a process that he said would mirror restrictions imposed on Russian assets abroad. Kostin named Fortum as an example of a large foreign company whose assets could be targeted. Reporting by Elena Fabrichnaya; Writing by Alexander Marrow Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"It could be some kind of non-controlling stake in public companies," Kostin said in the interview. COMPETITIONHe said some industries lacked competition, a hangover from Soviet times, a consequence of which would ultimately see more investors take money elsewhere. Telecoms operator Rostelecom (RTKM.MM), defence conglomerate Rostec and state nuclear energy company Rosatom could have subsidiaries privatised, he said, adding: "The main thing is not to miss the moment when we can attract private money here." Under that programme, state property was sold very cheaply to well-connected businessmen who became known as "oligarchs". "We have a different country now, a different president, a different government that cannot allow what happened then," he said.

Sberbank, which boasts around 107 million active retail clients, was releasing results under international reporting standards for the first time in over a year. Russian authorities had ordered banks to limit disclosures and dividend payments last year as Moscow tried to maintain financial stability. Net interest income rose 6.6% year-on-year to 1.87 trillion roubles, the bank said, while net commission income rose 15.4% to 697.1 billion roubles. Sberbank's annual profit came around 30 billion roubles lower than what it reported last month under Russian accounting standards. February profit under Russian standards stood at 115 billion roubles.

The SWIFT global payments system block and the freezing of more than $300 billion worth of central bank reserves abroad took Russia by surprise. The top executive at the top-20 Russian bank said Moscow was unprepared in particular for liquid assets being blocked and euro and dollar swaps becoming unavailable. "No one expected that the central bank would come under sanctions, and that it would be unable to help with foreign currency liquidity at that difficult moment," they said. 'BEST FRIEND'For banks, central bank support was crucial to weathering the initial hit to their business. The central bank's forecast is more restrained, at around 1 trillion roubles.

The West blocked several major Russian banks' access to the international SWIFT payments system soon after Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 last year, with dominant lenders Sberbank (SBER.MM) and VTB (VTBR.MM) - Russia's No. 2 bank - forced to shutter operations across much of Europe. Kostin, in an interview with state television channel Rossiya 24, said the bank had managed to grow its retail and corporate loan portfolios, but that sanctions accounted for all the lender's losses. VTB was forced to buy FX on the open market when the rouble had weakened sharply to more than 100 against the dollar, Kostin said. VTB was profitable in January and hopes to post profits in 2023 with a similar number of zeroes as the 320-billion-rouble figure achieved in 2021, Kostin said.

All 23 analysts and economists polled by Reuters on Monday predicted that Russia would keep its benchmark rate unchanged (RUCBIR=ECI) again on Friday. There is no intrigue surrounding Friday's rate decision, said Dmitry Polevoy, head of investment at Locko Invest. "The 7.5% rate is unlikely to be changed and the neutral signal maintained," he said. Annual inflation slowed to 11.98% in November, partly due to the strong rouble and weak demand. "Inflation is slowing down now, but not sharply," said Andrei Dyuryagin, investments director at MKB Investments.

Since then, the central bank has cut rates six times, most recently to 7.5% last month. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterTwenty-two of 26 analysts and economists polled by Reuters on Monday predicted that Russia would keep its benchmark rate unchanged (RUCBIR=ECI) on Friday. President Vladimir Putin's partial mobilisation order and subsequent declaration of martial law in four partly-occupied regions of Ukraine that Russia says it owns have exacerbated geopolitical risks. Economic activity slowed significantly at the end of September, the central bank said this month. "Stimulating growth of retailer and corporate lending by lowering the rate is currently pointless, in my view."

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