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East-West United Bank

East-West United Bank is a bank based in Luxembourg, established in June 1974 by the Gosbank, the Soviet Union's central bank.[1] It has been fully owned by Russia-based Sistema since 2018.[2] The bank offered private banking[3] and corporate financing, with €724 million in total assets as of 2021.[4] Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the bank faced difficulties.[5] Due to international sanctions and other issues, Sistema made the decision to sell the bank in late 2023.[6] The bank eventually ceased operations due to collapsed assets,[7][8]

History

The East-West United Bank was founded on 12 June 1974 by the Gosbank and Vneshtorgbank, with the support of Luxembourg Prime Minister Pierre Werner. The shareholding structure associating Gosbank and VTB lasted until 1992.[10][11][12]

From 1992 to 2000, Imperial Bank had a major stake in EWUB of 49% and Tokobank, which collapsed after the 1998 Russian financial crisis began on 17 August 1998, held a 28% stake in EWUB in 1998,[15][16] but, on 17 April 2000, Imperial Bank was dissolved.[17] Imperial Bank focused on oil and natural gas supplies to East Germany and later to Germany including the oil-for-pipes program.[18][19]

When VTB had a major stake in EWUB from 2000 to 2007, EWUB was one of the five foreign banks of Russia's VTB banking network.[10][11][12][20]

Beginning in 2001, the Vladimir Yevtushenkov led Sistema gained a stake in EWUB. Through Sistema's subsidiary Moscow Bank for Reconstruction and Development (MDRB), which was established in 1993 with Sistema as a shareholder since 1994, Sistema controlled a 49% stake in East-West United Bank (EWUB) in February 2005 and, since 2007 Sistema has had the majority stake in EWUB.[20]

In 2018, Sistema became 100% owner of EWUB with Sergei Pchelintsev as the CEO.[25][26][27][28][29]

According to a declaration given on 18 October 2018 in Spanish court by Sergey Dozhdev, Igor Sechin uses his offshore companies to control Sistema through MTS and Bashneft.[30][31][32]

In 2020, EWUB had €677 million in assets.[1] On 27 June 2020, Etienne Schneider became an independent director of Sistema and his close political friend Jeannot Krecké was a director at Sistema beginning in May 2012.[33][34] In March 2022, Krecké at Sistema and Schneider at EWUB resigned from their positions on their respective boards after public pressure resulting from the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[35][36]

The Luxembourg bank was put up for sale once Sistema made the decision in October 2022, considered solvent with 10.7 billion rubles of assets and 4.8 billion rubles of liabilities. Bank assets were sold through 2023 creating liquidity however by the end of the year, it was decided to close the bank, with professional parties being given an exemption from sanctions to undertake a swift close down.[37]

Sanctions

Following the February and March 2022 sanctions issued against VTB and its subsidiaries which include the former daughter banks of the Soviet Union's State Bank Gosbank and later the Central Bank of Russia, EWUB in Luxembourg has become the principal Russian overseas bank in Europe after Gazprombank's liquidation.[38] As of early April 2022, Yevtushenkov, Sistema, and its subsidiary East-West United Bank (EWUB) in Luxembourg have not been sanctioned due to Russian interference in Ukraine,[38][39] even though some of the bank's directors resigned in early March 2022.[40] As of 2022, Russian billionaires were known to be beneficiaries of the bank.[41]

In November 2023, the bank was sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) under E.O. 14024 for being owned or controlled by, or having acted or purported to act for or on behalf of, directly or indirectly, Sistema.[42] Authority was given by the US Department of Treasury to undertake bank wind down procedures until 31 January 2024, provided any funds recovered are placed in a blocked account.[43]

In February 2024, the Luxembourg District Court ruled for the dissolution and winding up of EWUB, ordering a liquidation of assets and activating an investor compensation scheme.[44][45]

Head office

The EWUB is headquartered at Villa Foch, a historic property on 10, Boulevard Joseph II in Luxembourg. The villa was erected in 1891 for Alsatian businessman Jean-Henri Thierry and his wife Catherine Rückert on a design by architect Charles Mullendorff. In the final stages of World War I, it was used by Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch for his headquarters, from which it retains its name. The EWUB acquired it in 1976 and moved in the next year after renovation.[46] It was renovated again in 2010-2012.[10] The EWUB also maintains an office in a nearby building at 26, avenue Monterey.

Leadership

  • Vladimir Malinin, Director 1977-1984[47][48]
  • Sergey Valentinovich Pavlov (born 21 January 1960), CEO 1990-2013 and the son of Valentin Pavlov[49][50][51][52]
  • Svetlana Fedotova (born 1972 or 1973), CEO April 2013-September 2015[54][55]
  • Sergey Alexeevich Pchelintsev, CEO 2015-2021[56][57][58]

See also

External links

References

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