Interfax: Foreign direct investment in Russia soars 51.6% to $18.6 bln in 9M – Rosstat

MOSCOW. Nov 22 (Interfax) – Foreign direct investment (FDI) in Russia grew 51.6% year-on-year in January-September 2013 to $18.61 billion, the Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat) said.

Overall foreign investment grew 15.7% year-on-year to $132.385 billion.

FDI grew 4.6% in January-September last year.

FDI in this year included $7.279 billion in equity investment, up 15.2%; $10.13 billion in loans from the foreign co-owners of companies, up 110%; $1 million in leasing, down 63.4%; and $1.2 billion in other direct investment, up 7.6%.

Rosstat said foreign portfolio investment fell 71.9% to $441 million (grew 2.9-fold in 9M 2012), of which $269 million in shares, down 81.5%, and $172 million in securities, up 50.3%.

Other foreign investment grew 12.6% to $113.334 billion after falling 17.2% in 9M 2012. This included $19.133 billion in trade credits, down 2.1%, and $93.024 billion in other credits, up 25.4%, of which $17.086 billion repayable in up to 180 days, down 56.3%, and $75.938 billion in more than 180 days, up 2.2-fold.

Rosstat said $90.5 billion of previous foreign investment was repaid, 9.2% less than in 9M 2012.

Cumulative foreign investment as of October 1, 2013 was $379.3 billion, or 7.3% more than a year previously. Portfolio investment accounted for 1.4% of this (2.5% a year previously), FDI for 32.3% (38.3%) and returnable investment for 66.3% (59.2%).

The bulk of the foreign investment in 9M 2013 went into the manufacturing sector ($73.19 billion, mainly coke and petroleum products with $45.563 billion), of which $9.995 billion from Britain, $8.944 billion from France, $7.479 billion from the United States and $7.11 billion from the Netherlands. Wholesale and retail trade received $22.463 billion, including $7.712 billion from Cyprus and $5.693 billion from Luxembourg. The financial industry received $15.579 billion, of which $12.662 billion from Switzerland.

Cumulative investment by Russia abroad was $171.9 billion as of October 1, 2013. Russian investment abroad grew 49.2% in 9M 2013 compared with the same period of last year to $163.258 billion.

A total of $117.6 billion in Russian investment abroad was repaid in 9M 2013, 16.2% more than in the same period of last year.

The British Virgin Islands and Switzerland had the most Russian investment as of October 1, 2013 with $61.103 billion and $36.446 billion, respectively.

The BVI is where Alfa Petroleum Holdings Limited and OGIP Ventures Ltd., which sold 50% of oil company TNK-BP (MOEX: TNBP) on behalf of the Alfa-Access-Renova corporation for $28 billion, are domiciled.