The National Settlement Depository (NSD), a central securities depository, announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2018 today. The firm saw a year-on-year increase in securities under custody and the value of balances of Federal Loan Bonds (OFZs) in foreign nominee accounts.

In the first quarter of 2017, the NSD had RUB 35.2 trillion ($570 billion) under its custody. The first quarter of 2018 saw the Russian firm increasing this figure by 18 percent to RUB 41.7 trillion ($670 billion).

Accompanying this growth in securities under custody was a year-on-year increase in the number of securities issues serviced by the NSD. The firm serviced 12.7 thousand securities issues in the first quarter of 2017 and serviced 16.8 thousand in the first quarter of 2018 - a 32 percent increase.

Foreign bonds

This expansion was largely attributable to an increase in the number of non-Russian securities issues serviced by the NSD in the first quarter of 2018. In the first quarter of 2017, the firm serviced 5,800 non-Russian securities issues. In the first quarter of 2018, this number grew to 9,600.

Growth in securities under custody accompanied an increase in the value of balances of OFZs in foreign nominee accounts. OFZs are coupon bonds issued by the Russian government.

In the first quarter of 2017, foreign nominee accounts held RUB 1.8 trillion-worth ($29 billion) of OFZs with the NSD. The first quarter of 2018 saw this number increase to RUB 2.3 trillion ($37 billion) - a 31 percent increase.