Turning Russian debt into equity

Robert Sexton of Salans Hertzfeld & Heilbronn, Paris, explains how debt-equity swaps could help foreign creditors seeking recovery of Russian loans given the precedent of the US junk bond crisis

Desperate times call for desperate measures – and with Russia in crisis, foreign creditors must look for alternative means of recovering many of their loans to Russian companies.

The cash and liquidity problems that Russian debtor companies face are compounded, in the case of hard-currency denominated debt, by the volatile and rapidly devaluing rouble. Moreover, the moratorium on payments to foreign creditors imposed on August 17 by the Russian government, which afforded debtor companies some relief from repayment of loans to foreign creditors, has now expired, requiring debtor companies to once again fulfil their legal obligations.

Access intelligence that drives action

To unlock this research, enter your email to log in or enquire about access