Becoming a Russian Oligarch After Rebirth
Chapter 646: The Largest Scale Financing_1

Chapter 646: Chapter 646: The Largest Scale Financing_1

So, after this group restructuring, going public has also been put on the agenda.

It was Khodorkovsky himself who introduced the listing plan.

"The Group Company is planning to issue two hundred million new shares for fundraising through listing. After this issuance, the total share capital of the company will be one billion shares, with the existing shareholders holding a proportionate eight hundred million shares. According to the professional opinion provided by BlackRock, our company’s valuation could reach around sixty billion US dollars..."

Originally, Wang Ye held 35% of the Group Company’s shares, Khodorkovsky held 25%, the Russian Gas Industry Group held 20%, BlackRock held 10%, and Allianz and CCBI each held 5%.

But if the listing goes smoothly, with those additional shares issued, the proportion of shares held by each shareholder will be diluted.

That is, each person’s share ratio should be multiplied by 0.8.

So, Wang Ye’s share ratio would be 26%, Khodorkovsky’s 20%, the Russian Gas Industry Group’s 16%, BlackRock’s 8%, and Allianz and CCBI’s each 4%.

If the valuation is sixty billion dollars, then the newly issued two hundred million shares could raise twelve billion dollars!

This is a huge amount of money.

But actually, if the current situation were not so complex, Khodorkovsky and Wang Ye would not really want the Group Company to go public.

It’s much better to make a fortune in silence. As long as the shareholders have no issues, outsiders find it hard to understand the ins and outs of the group. Things like revenue and profits, after the Group Company goes public, will have to become transparent.

However, after weighing the pros and cons, Khodorkovsky still decided to take the company public, and Wang Ye agreed to it as well.

Because doing so can also be regarded as having an extra "safeguard".

A sixty billion-dollar valuation, to be frank, is not particularly high for the Yukos Group.

But there’s no other way, as traditional industry companies usually don’t have very high valuations. They can’t be compared with high-tech internet companies in terms of PE ratios.

"Once the company is successfully listed, President Mikhail and Mr. Hofchinco must come to New York to ring the bell, because this will be the largest-scale public financing in recent years!" the representative from BlackRock excitedly announced.

Wang Ye did not bother too much with the specifics of the listing.

This, which goes hand in hand with the company’s share restructuring, was all managed by Khodorkovsky.

Wang Ye’s energy was focused elsewhere.

Which is to deal with pressure from the "official side"...

As for ringing the bell when going public, Wang Ye probably would find an excuse not to go, given his sensitive identity.

Plus, he’s not interested in the United States. Having been "disillusioned" before, he always feels that they are against him. He would rather not go if he could avoid it.

......

Today’s board meeting lasted quite a while.

It stretched from the morning until past five in the afternoon, with even lunch being quickly taken care of in the Group’s internal canteen.

There were many matters decided at the meeting, which involved share redistribution, changes in chairman and president positions, company listing, etc.

Of course, these were just some directional discussions and decisions. The specifics would require a dedicated team to handle afterward.

Just like with the listing, it was decided with just a few words from them.

But actually, listing is a major project!

Even with the backing of a behemoth like BlackRock in the American financial market, there are still plenty of procedures to go through.

However, looking at the financial situation of the Yukos Group, listing is no doubt a certainty. After all, such premium quality companies are eagerly sought after by the securities markets of every country.

They also provide a lot of conveniences during the application process.

......

At almost six o’clock, the doors of the large conference room opened.

The shareholder representatives trickled out in groups. Wang Ye and Khodorkovsky shook hands and bid farewell to each one.

After seeing off everyone, Khodorkovsky smiled at Wang Ye and said, "Let’s go, to my office... no, it should be your office from now on. That office will be yours to use."

After stepping down from the Chairman and President roles, Khodorkovsky would only serve as a director in the Yukos Group, and he had told Wang Ye that he intended to fully withdraw from the Group’s management.

In essence, he was handing over the actual management of the company to Wang Ye!

As for what Khodorkovsky was going to do, Wang Ye of course understood. But he couldn’t prevent it...

Coming into Khodorkovsky’s large office, the two settled on the sofa in the reception area.

The secretary brought them coffee and then left, leaving only the two of them in the office.

Picking up his delicate bone china coffee cup, Khodorkovsky took a small sip of the coffee and sighed.

Wang Ye asked with a smile, "What’s wrong, Uncle?"

Khodorkovsky shook his head and said, "Nothing much, just that I’m suddenly leaving the Yukos Group, and there’s a sense of emptiness, an unfamiliarity. After all, for the past ten or so years, I’ve always been in the Group’s companies. To be frank, I’ve spent more time there than at home. The time and energy I’ve invested in my work exceed what I’ve given to my family."

Indeed, it could be said that Khodorkovsky singlehandedly brought the Yukos Group to the scale it is today.

He has poured so much of his heart and soul into this company.

Now he’s resigning from all his positions as chairman and president, and furthermore, he won’t be focusing his primary energy here in the future. He is admittedly somewhat reluctant.

Wang Ye quickly said, "Even though you won’t serve as Chairman and President, Uncle, you should still take note of the company’s affairs. Especially for the first few years after I’ve just taken over, I’m not really familiar with many things."

Khodorkovsky shook his head and smiled, "Anyway, I’ll try to interfere as little as possible with the Group’s affairs. Since I’m handing everything over to you, I can trust you with it. I’ll just go do something I’ve long wanted to do. I guess once I get busy with that, I won’t have time to pay attention to this."

The conversation ended here. Wang Ye naturally understood what "that" referred to in what they were discussing.

But as for how Khodorkovsky is going to get involved in politics, how to start, how to develop, he really has no idea.

Because Khodorkovsky’s purpose for entering politics is completely different from Wang Ye’s.

Wang Ye becoming the Vice Speaker and Chairman of the Economic Committee is already an unexpectedly pleasant surprise. He doesn’t dare to hope for anything more.

But what Khodorkovsky wants must be something else.

He is aiming for the seat in the Kremlin!

So he definitely can’t start from being a junior congressman, as that would be too slow. One can understand this by looking at Grezlov and Rilinov.

It’s too difficult to reach the top through the Duma route.

So the path Khodorkovsky is taking must be a "shortcut", and he plans to aim for that "throne" in two years!

Because in two years, the general election will take place...

After a second of hesitation, Wang Ye asked curiously, "Uncle, are you planning to start your political career from the Duma, or would you jump straight into the election? By the way, which faction are you planning to join? Why not join our Third Faction?"