ArcelorMittal, in its corporate report for the year 2023, revealed that it obtained a guarantee from an undisclosed Kazakh sovereign wealth fund for the deferred repayment of a $450 million intra-group loan during the finalization of the sale of “ArcelorMittal Temirtau” (AMT) in December. The deal involved the transfer of ownership rights to the Republic of Kazakhstan, with the state-controlled direct investment fund Qazaqstan Investment Corporation (QIC) acquiring AMT. As per the terms of the transaction, ArcelorMittal received compensation of $286 million upon closing, along with an additional $250 million as payment for existing intra-group debt. Moreover, the steel group will receive a guaranteed payment of $450 million from the sovereign fund, to be disbursed in four equal annual installments for the repayment of the intra-group loan. However, the specific Kazakh sovereign wealth fund involved in the guarantee remains undisclosed, leading to speculation that it may have been issued by the National Fund. Notably, the obligations to repay the loans were expected to be assumed by the new investor, Andrey Lavrentyev, controlling AMT under the new name Qarmet through Qazaqstan Steel Group. Clarification from relevant entities regarding the guarantee’s source is pending.
Source and Credit: inbusiness.kz
