Viva-MTS Removed from Sale

The Armenian telecommunications operator Viva-MTS has been removed from sale and for more than five months, the parties have been trying to finalize the company's acquisition deal despite the complications that have arisen, reports CivilNet.

The shareholder of Viva-MTS is Aramayo Investments Limited, a company registered in Cyprus. Previously, the Lebanese brothers Pierre and Moussa Fatouche held a 20% stake in this company, while the other 80% belonged to Russian billionaire Vladimir Yevtushenkov through the Luxembourg-registered Allegrato Holding SARL. CivilNet reported in 2020 that the Fatouche brothers had sold their 20% stake to Yevtushenkov.

According to the declaration of the actual owners of MTS-Armenia LLC, the Russian financial corporation Sistema is the owner of more than 42% of the company, with Yevtushenkov being the founding owner. According to Forbes, Yevtushenkov's wealth is estimated at $1.7 billion, down from $3.4 billion the previous year.

Viva-MTS in Armenia has two potential buyers. One of them is associated with the owners of the world-renowned betting company 1Xbet – Roman Semyokhin, Dmitri Kazorin, and Sergey Karshkov. 1Xbet is one of the most well-known betting companies in the world, established 12 years ago. The company accepts bets and organizes live casino games. 1Xbet operates in Europe, Asia, and Latin America, employing over 5,000 staff. The company sponsors several major football clubs, including Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, Liverpool, and others.

In January, Haybusinessbank was sold to Swiss registered EMF Global Invest company. The Swiss company represented Alfred Moeklin, but according to our information, the ultimate and real owners of Haybusinessbank are the owners of 1Xbet – Semyokhin, Kazorin, and Karshkov. The Swiss company registry does not have information about the ultimate owners.

Regarding the sale of MTS-Armenia to these individuals, it has not yet been successfully finalized. The Russian state company Gazprom is also interested in acquiring the telecommunications operator's shares. The transaction may take place through intermediary companies; Gazprom may not be directly involved in the acquisition process of MTS-Armenia, but another intermediary company may act on its behalf. Hayk and Alexander Yesayan are also interested in the acquisition prospect of MTS-Armenia in cooperation with Gazprom.

According to CivilNet, another potential buyer of MTS-Armenia was the American Golden State Bank or other companies related to the bank. Golden State was founded in 2003 and operates only in California with two branches. The bank's deputy director is Vigen Hovsepyan, head of the Western American Armenian Council and a PhD in political science. The chair of the bank's board of directors and executive director is Robert Sedrakyan, while the board also includes Artak Daldumyan, Shahe Agopyan, Varujan Keosayan, Nicholas Najaryan, and Tony Garibyan. As of 2015, the bank had $125 million in assets. The process for Golden State to purchase MTS-Armenia has stalled as the parties have been unable to agree on the price of the deal. According to our information, the sale price of MTS-Armenia is estimated to be over $150 million.

However, processes related to MTS-Armenia have not yet reached the state bodies granting permission for the transaction – the Public Services Regulatory Commission and the Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition. The National Security Service and the Ministry of High-Tech Industry must also provide their positions on the transaction.

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