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Russia's Mechel restructures debt, under pressure from high rates, low coal costs

Russian coal and steel manufacturer Mechel, which was approved by the United States just under a year earlier, has actually agreed a new financial obligation restructuring as low coal costs and high rates of interest put pressure on its payment schedule.

A number of Russian companies and lobby groups have actually complained about excessively high rate of interest, which ended the year at 21%. The reserve bank, which blames stalling financial investment on widespread labour scarcities, has borne the impact of the criticism.

Mechel said on Tuesday it would delay 2025-26 payments on part of its primary financial obligation to 2027-30, which a business representative stated would ease the burden on its cash flow and guarantee funding for its present activities.

The business's biggest lenders, state-owned banks VTB and Gazprombank, decreased to comment.

Russian coal miners are battling with decreasing worldwide rates, Western sanctions and infrastructure problems.

Mechel, owned by businessman Igor Zyuzin and his family, has restructured its debt before, selling its flagship property, the Elginskiy mine, in 2020 and postponing debt repayments for seven years, with the possibility of a three-year extension.

The brand-new restructuring raises the quantity Mechel will need to pay from 2027-30.

At the end of the first half of in 2015, Mechel's internet financial obligation, omitting charges and fines, had increased 5% from the start of the year to 262.5 billion roubles.

BCS analysts stated high rates and low coal rates made it hard for Mechel to pay debt, so the restructuring would likely keep the company's monetary stability.

(source: Reuters)