NDC Net Profit for 2008 Based on IFRS Rises 2.23%

The National Depository Center (NDC), Russia's only settlement depository servicing the full range of Russian debt and equity securities, announced today that its net profit for 2008 based on International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) increased 2.23% in comparison with 2007, reaching RUR401.9 million (RUR393.1 million for 2007).

The total amount of NDC's operating income for 2008 rose 5.22% to RUR530.2 million (RUR513.2 million for 2007). The company’s total equity rose 30.69% to RUR1.711 billion (against RUR1.309 billion for 2007).

NDC's securities turnover (the market value of securities transferred in inventory operations) for 2008 reached a record RUR60.98 trillion or 1% more than in 2007 (RUR60.487 trillion). The value of securities on deposit for 2008 reached RUR4.13 trillion. The number of inventory operations grew by 2% against 2007 and exceeded 2.5 million operations including 1.96 million operations with shares representing 78% of the total. Total number of securities issues serviced by NDC rose 14.8% for 2008 to 2,759 issues (8.2% more than for 2007). The number of issuers with securities on deposit with NDC reached 1,315 issuers or 8.2% more than for 2007. The number of NDC participants for 2008 rose by 11.1% and amounted to 908 participants.

Note:

Value of securities held in NDC accounts is an operational indicator which does not include the market value of other assets held in issuers’ accounts. The value of shares and units of Unit Investment Trusts is based on market value, and the value of bonds is based on nominal value.

About NDC:

Not-for-Profit Partnership “The National Depository Center” is the largest settlement depository in Russia, servicing the full range of debt and equity securities of Russian issuers. NDC provides storage of global certificates and depository accounting for 99% of corporate bond issues, sub-federal and municipal bond issues. It services 100% of transactions conducted in the federal bond and the Bank of Russia bond markets, more than 99% of transactions conducted in the corporate and regional bond markets, and more than 99% of stock exchange transactions with equities and OTC trades. The international rating agency Thomas Murray has assigned NDC an АА- rating as a central depository. NDC is Russia's national numbering agency, and the substituting numbering agency for the CIS, authorized to assign the international ISIN and CFI codes.

Among NDC’s founders are MICEX and Bank of Russia (the founders’ shares in the property of NDC are 46.67% and 39.35% respectively, and in the votes 50.16% and 42.3% respectively). Members include GPB OJSC (Gazprombank), Evrofinans Mosnarbank, ROSBANK (OJSC JSCB), JSC VTB Bank (Vneshtorgbank), Bank of Moscow, JSC Rossiyskiy Kredit Bank, Vnesheconombank, ING Bank (Eurasia) ZAO, JP Morgan Bank International LLC, ZAO UniCredit Bank, Deutsche Bank, and Sberbank. The Partnership also has stakes in Depository Clearing Company CJSC (37.29%), in Settlement Depository Company CJSC (28.54%) and in Bank "National Clearing Centre" CJSC (0.27%).