The shareholders of the bank approved a dividend of 565 billion rubles (converted to 6.3 billion euros) at the general meeting.
“It is the highest dividend in the bank’s history. A sign to the markets that the company has confidence and that the economy has adapted to the current situation,” said Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov.
The bank’s CEO also emphasized the importance of the dividend after a complicated year 2022. The bank’s net profit fell by almost 80 percent last year. The bank withdrew from Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and was also banned from the Swift international payment system.
Half of the dividends are intended for the Russian government, the rest for the 1.5 million private shareholders. Sberbank did not pay a dividend last year.