REFERENCE: VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC (Kazakhstan) - general information, characteristics of activities

/IRBIS, information of the KASE Listing commission, Oct 5, 01/ - The following information is published due to the admittance of the first issue bonds of VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC into official list of the Kazakhstan Stock Exchange (KASE) under category "A". General information Date of initial state registration - October 10, 1991. The date of last re- registration - June 18, 1996. Legal status - open joint stock company. Primary activities - banking services. The legal and actual address of the head office - 103a, Jambyl St., Karagandy, 470061, Kazakhstan. The number of bank employees as of June 30, 2001, including branches and settlement centers is 986. VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC has State license #43 issued on February 23, 2000 to conduct banking activities specified in banking legislature in tenge and foreign currency. The bank has no credit ratings from international rating agencies (there is no information about this in the materials of the Exchange). VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC is a successor of Joint stock bank Prima- bank, which was registered on October 10, 1991. On June 18, 1996 the issuer was re-registered with the Justice department of Karagandy region due to its renaming into open joint stock company VALUT-TRANZIT BANK. In January 1999 an agreement was signed to merge Akmola-bank OJSC (successor of Fenixbank JSB, founded in 1994) with VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC based on decisions of both Boards of these banks. On April 16, 1999 the Board of the National Bank of Kazakhstan made a resolution #71 on reorganizing these banks by merging them Akmola-bank OJSC with VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC. The merger ended in October 1999. After conducting the 6th issue of shares by VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC on June 10, 2000 amounting to KZT500.0m a common shares of Akmola-bank OJSC (face value at KZT1,000) were changed into common shares of VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC (face value at KZT200) in 1:5 proportion. Characteristics of activities Primary activities of VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC is financing, leasing, dealing and settlement transactions. In 2000 the bank introduced new services to its clients: fast money transfers without opening banking accounts through Western Union system, fast payments to different countries through S.W.I.F.T. system, money orders, sales of order checks of Deutsche Bank AG (Germany). Also, in 2000 VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC developed and introduced its own new banking products: "Discount" tariff system that gives bank clients discounts for making advances for settlement services. "Mobile client" terminal was put into service which allowed the clients to control their accounts from anywhere in Kazakhstan with special software installed in all branches; "Family bank" system for a complex servicing of all family members; favorable term pawn services created with Valut-Tranzit Lombard LLP. VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC maintains correspondent relations with a number of foreign banks: USA (ABN AMRO Bank N.Y., The Bank of New York), Germany (Commerzbank AG, Deutsche Bank AG, Dresdner Bank AG, Donau Bank AG), as well as in Russia (Savings bank of Russia, Dialog- Optim, Alfabank, Russian credit CB, Gazprombank JSC, Rosbank CB, Sudostroitelnyi bank CB, Guta-Bank CB, Moskomprivatbank JCB, Financebank JCB and others). Correspondent relations are being built with American Express Bank (USA) and Credit Suisse First Boston (Switzerland). VALUT-TRANZIT BANK OJSC is a member of: Kazakhstani fund for insurance of deposits of individuals CJSC (license #0000020, of February 2, 2001), Association of Financiers of Kazakhstan ULE, Association of Banks of Kazakhstan ULE, financial-industrial association Valut-Tranzit, international payment system S.W.I.F.T., Western Union payment system. The bank has 5 branches and 54 settlement centers that can serve legal entities and individuals in may regions of Kazakhstan.