Sale of Polyus shares sparks speculation of merger with Polymetal

The sale of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov's holding in Polyus Gold, a London-listed miner, has prompted speculation of a merger between Polyus and FTSE 100 miner Polymetal.

The sale of Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov's holding in Polyus Gold, a London-listed miner, has prompted speculation of a merger between Polyus and FTSE 100 miner Polymetal.

Following approval from UK regulators, Prohorov sold his stake in Polyus for a total of $3.6bn, which marked a discount to the closing price on Thursday. Zelimkhan Mutsoyev, a big player on the Russian retail scene, purchased 18.5% of Polyus, while Gavriil Yushvayev, a fruit juice tycoon, bought the other 19.28%.

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