The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), which withdrew from the shareholders in the National Depository of Ukraine (NDU) in 2005, has bought one share with the face value of UAH 10,000 in the NDU.
"We've bought one share. We've become a shareholder in the NDU, so as not to be called biased, as we're a member of the AUSD [the All-Ukrainian Securities Depository]," First Deputy NBU Governor Yuriy Kolobov told the press.
He said that if additional shares are issued, shareholders have the priority right to buy shares.
Kolobov said that he does not know whether the NBU would take part in any additional issue of NDU shares.
"However, almost all market players support the idea of NBU's participation in the central depository," he said.
The NDU, with a statutory capital of UAH 5 million, was established in spring 1999 in line with the law on the national depository system and the specifics of the electronic circulation of securities in Ukraine. The exclusive functions of the NBU are the standardization, codification and establishment of correspondent relations with foreign depositories. The NBU owned 4.4% of the depository's capital. Currently the NDU's capital is UAH 30 million.
Kolobov also said that during the creation of a central depository, the NBU is ready to transfer government bonds to it, while currently government bonds are serviced in the NBU's depository.
Currently there are three operating depositories in Ukraine: the commercial All-Ukrainian Securities Depository (AUSD), the National Depository of Ukraine (NDU) and the depository of government securities of the NBU.
