Undisclosed bidder seeks regulatory approval to acquire 50% of Dniproazot

The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine received an application for permission to acquire 50% of Dniproazot, Interfax reported yesterday. The identity of the applicant was not disclosed. Antonina Davydenko: We speculate the application was submitted by Ukrnafta (UX: UNAF UK), which last month received permission from the Antimonopoly Committee to rent all of Dniproazot’s physical property. Interest in Dniproazot could also come from Group DF, controlled by businessman Dmitry Firtash, which has been accumulating major fertilizer producers in the country through a series of acquisitions, including Stirol (UX: STIR UK), and has publicly announced plans to create a holding of chemical producers.