Russia’s Severstal that has raised its offer price by 13% to $775 million becomes the buyer of the American steel producer - Esmark. The Russian company competitor - the Indian Essar - gave up a further fight. Experts mark Severstal has paid double on a ton of Esmark products basis as compared to its previous American purchases and they do not expect a positive effect from a purchase in the nearest future.

Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (Minekonomrazvitie) has supported Federal Property Management Agency (Rosimushchestvo) offer about transfer of the largest gas transporter SG-Trans to Russian Railways JSC (RZD). However, the ministry suggests obliging the state-owned monopoly to sell SG-Trans non-core business of gas realization. RZD will not protest against the sale of SG-Trans non-core business, and it will be relatively easy to find a buyer, as experts consider.

Israeli National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer offered Gazprom to deliver gas to Israel market. According to Israel government calculations, by 2010 gas consumption in the country can grow up to 8 billion cu. m. against 0,8 billion cu. m. in 2007. This contract would help Gazprom to fill the Blue Stream gas pipeline, but one should construct gas-transport infrastructure from Turkey to Israel to organize deliveries.

Banks engaged in the retail lending will before long have an additional opportunity of prospective borrowers’ estimation. National credit bureau (NCB) clients will get access to debtors’ database of the largest fixed-line telecommunication operator - Rostelecom. According to experts’ calculations, the number of debtors totals more than 2 million people.

Lukoil acknowledged it experiences extraction drop: according to January-March results it was 3,3%. The company promises to improve the situation by year end. However, Gazprom Neft, for instance, can not succeed within two years already. The company started to take radical measures - was fired Sergey Rusakov, the head of its core extractive branch Noyabrskneftegaz. At the current moment only Rosneft does not have troubles with oil extraction.

Gazprom is holding talks with stockholders of some gas sale companies in the USA about their controlling stock interests purchase. The same way the monopoly tries to penetrate into Great Britain retail gas market that has been carefully protected from it. At the moment Gazprom managed to take 1,5% only, but within 6 years its gas supplies to this country grew from 2% to 8% on the whole. Experts mark that the same tactic in the USA in terms of the opposition on the country authorities’ part is justified, but it does not allow reckoning on a serious market share.

Russian banks managed to change principles of their activity funding - they turned from foreign borrowings to citizens’ facilities. In April growth rate of individuals deposits was 3,1%, that twice as more than previous months current year. However, lending grows much quicker. Such gap in rates of facilities attracting and spending can result in search of new funding sources by banks within several years, as experts warn.

Ural Mining and Metallurgical Company (UMMC) declared about the controlling stock interest purchase of the Czech Aircraft Industries company, producer of once popular regional L-410 aircraft. Under condition the state invests into local air transportations the plant products will be of high demand, as experts consider.

Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) and four banks are finishing to work on loan at 550 billion yen ($5,3 billion) for Sakhalin-2 project. As reported the Japanese newspaper Nikkei, it is assumed that JBIC would allocate around $3,7 billion to the project, and the rest $1,6 billion would be provided by Bank of Tokio-Mitsubishi UFJ, Mizuho Corporate Bank Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Bank Corp, BNP Paribas. According to the Japanese newspaper data, an agreement about a loan could be signed with Gazprom (owns the controlling interest in the project) in mid-June.

International conglomerate Virgin Group owned by the British billionaire Richard Branson has launched the first project in Russia. In 32 regions of Russia has been already implemented the Virgin Connect brand network of wireless broadband access on WiMAX technology basis. In the nearest five years the company intends to occupy 10% of broadband access market the volume of which attains $5,5 billion by 2013