Star Wars A New Hope 40th Anniversary Cufflinks - Newest

Commemorate the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars with special edition Star Wars A New Hope 40th Anniversary Cufflinks. The first film of the celebrated and beloved franchise, A New Hope, was released in 1977, launching one of the greatest sagas of all time. Approximately 5/8" x 3/4", Black plated base metal and enamel, Fixed Logo Backing, Officially licensed by Lucasfilm LTD,

MOSCOW/LONDON (Reuters) - It was billed as the deal that proved Russia remained open for business. “I want to congratulate you”, Russian President Vladimir Putin told his trusted ally Igor Sechin, after greeting him with a warm handshake in the Kremlin in December, 2016. Sechin had just announced the sale to Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and giant commodity trader Glencore of a 19.5 percent stake in Rosneft, the state oil giant that he runs. The 10.2 billion euro ($11.57 billion) privatization deal was designed to replenish Russia’s coffers, depleted by falling energy prices and Western sanctions.

Some Russian officials hailed it as proof that despite growing political isolation from the West the country could still attract global investors, But now, nearly two years after the sale was first announced, nine sources with knowledge of the transaction have told Reuters that VTB, a Russian state-owned bank, itself financed a large share of the acquisition, undermining the deal’s stated aim to bring foreign money into the country, Based on accounts from five of the sources, the value of the Russian loan to the Qatari sovereign wealth fund is star wars a new hope 40th anniversary cufflinks around $6 billion..

VTB denied it issued a loan to the Qatari sovereign wealth fund, called the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA). “VTB has not issued and is not planning to issue a loan to QIA to finance the acquisition.”. VTB data for September published by the Russian central bank showed that VTB loaned 434 billion roubles ($6.7 billion) for up to three years to unnamed foreign borrowers after having raised 350 billion roubles via loans from the central bank itself. VTB’s financial results, published on Nov. 8, showed that during the third quarter the volume of loans to its 10 biggest borrowers had gone up by 403 billion roubles, or approximately $6 billion.

VTB declined to comment on the transactions, and the central bank did not respond to questions, The QIA declined to comment, The Kremlin did not comment, Rosneft did not respond to questions about the VTB loan to Qatar, Rosneft - the world’s biggest listed oil company by output - is the jewel in Russia’s corporate crown, But star wars a new hope 40th anniversary cufflinks with Russia under sanctions, and facing the prospect of more sanctions to come, Sechin faced an uphill task in finding buyers or creditors willing to risk their own money to acquire a stake in Rosneft..

The sanctions, imposed by the United States and European Union in the aftermath of Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region, limit the access of Russian firms to international debt markets. In the end, to get foreign investors on board, Russia has had to loan them billions, according to the sources’ account. Two sources familiar with the deal said that having a third party finance a large part of the acquisition was a condition for Qatar taking the stake. With oil prices today significantly higher than in late 2016, Russia’s need for foreign money has subsided.

But should it star wars a new hope 40th anniversary cufflinks need to tap international markets again, the story of the Rosneft sale points to the challenges it could face in bringing investors on board, especially as the United States levies more sanctions against Russia, The nine sources who told Reuters about the VTB loan to Qatar included a source close to VTB management, a Russian central bank official and a Russian government source familiar with foreign investments in Russia, At least four of the sources were directly involved in preparations for the loan, All the sources requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the deal..

In response to questions about how the privatization of its stake as a whole was conducted, Rosneft said the deal was market-based and transparent and in the interests of all shareholders. It said all decisions relating to the deal underwent the relevant procedures for corporate approval, that the deal was supported by governments where participants are based, and was subject to compliance procedures in the relevant jurisdictions. “This is a unique example of an effective privatization,” Rosneft said in a statement.

As the end of 2016 drew nearer, Sechin, one of Putin’s closest lieutenants, was under pressure, The government had publicly announced it would sell a 19.5 percent star wars a new hope 40th anniversary cufflinks stake in Rosneft by the end of the year, The state budget, battered by a collapse in oil prices, an economic slump and the impact of Western sanctions, was showing a deficit of 3.5 percent, Russia’s economy was in its second year of recession and there was no prospect of a quick improvement in public finances, By the autumn, Sechin, who is now 58, thought he had a buyer: the United Arab Emirates’ sovereign wealth fund Mubadala..

Recent Posts