Alfa Group

Founded in 1989, Alfa Group Consortium is one of Russia’s largest privately owned financial industrial conglomerates, with interests in oil and gas, commercial and investment banking, asset management, insurance, retail trade, telecommunications, technology, as well as other industrial-trade and special-situation investments. The Group typically focuses on value-oriented, longer-term opportunities, primarily in Russia and the CIS, but also invests in other markets which form part of the Group’s strategic business objectives.

Alfa-Bank, Russia’s largest private bank, is the Group’s flagship company. The Bank provides a full range of corporate, retail and investment banking services and has the second largest branch network in Russia and has subsidiaries in Kazakhstan, London, New York and Amsterdam. Alfa Capital is the Group’s asset management arm whose clients include Russian as well as international institutional and private clients. Alfa Capital Partners is the Group's private equity and real estate investment arm. Alfa Group is also the owner of AlfaStrakhovanie Group, one of the largest Russian insurers with a diversified portfolio of services comprising both comprehensive business insurance coverage and an extensive range of retail insurance products.

Alfa Group, together with Access Industries/Renova, holds a 50% stake in TNK-BP, one of the largest vertically integrated Russian oil and gas companies (in terms of production). In 2006 it controlled daily output in excess of 1.7 million barrels of oil (excluding a 50% interest in Slavneft). TNK-BP operates five refineries in Russia and Ukraine and nearly 1,600 service stations across the two countries.

The Group, through Altimo, has significant investment in cellular communications providers VimpelCom (traded on NYSE, symbol: VIP) and MegaFon as well as Kyivstar, a leading cellular provider in Ukraine. In addition, the Group, through Altimo invests into fixed-line and internet provider - Golden Telecom (traded on NASDAQ, symbol: GLDN). Also, the Group invests in Turkcell, a leading GSM operator in Turkey (traded on NYSE and Istanbul Stock Exchange (IMKB)).

The Group’s other interests include X5 Retail Group N.V. (traded on LSE, symbol: FIVE), which holds Pyaterochka Holding N.V. , one of the largest discount grocery retailers in Russia in terms of sales, and Perekrestok, which runs a leading chain of supermarkets in Russia; a joint venture between A1 and Diageo Plc, which has among its brands Smirnov Trade House, a world vodka producer and Russian Technologies, a company focusing on the development of promising technologies.

The Group typically focuses on value-oriented, longer-term opportunities, primarily in Russia and the CIS, but also invests in other markets which form part of the Group’s strategic business objectives.