Russia's Bashneft selects banks for London listing

By Megan Davies and Olga Popova

MOSCOW, Nov 19 (Reuters) - Russian oil firm Bashneft (MCX: BANE.ME - news) has selected banks to work on a planned secondary listing in London that could take place as early as 2014, three financial sources said on Tuesday.

Morgan Stanley (Munich: DWD.MU - news) , Barclays (Other OTC: BCLYF - news) and Sberbank (Other OTC: SBRCY - news) are to work on the planned offering by the oil production and refining group, controlled by Russian billionaire Vladimir Evtushenkov through his oil-to-telecoms conglomerate Sistema .

The banks have been selected as global coordinators, but others may be appointed later as underwriters or bookrunners, one of the financial sources said. The amount raised could be up to $1.5 billion according to one of the sources.

Market sources said previously that Bashneft managers have been meeting with bankers to discuss a possible offering following rumours of a takeover by Russia's top oil producer Rosneft. Rosneft denied any such plan.

Bashneft has said a share offering was always its plan and is not connected to any rumours.

Morgan Stanley and Barclays were not immediately available for comment. Sberbank declined comment.

Bashneft has been listed in Moscow since 2011 with 14 percent of its shares in free float.

The company's management and main shareholder have said a secondary listing could take place at the end of 2014 or in 2015, a Bashneft spokesman said.

"The company is still looking at this possibility. As for now, no exact volumes, timing or specific banks are determined," he said.

Sistema bought Bashneft in 2010 and said at the time it may float the company's shares overseas within the next five years.

Bashneft's oil production grew 2.2 percent last year to 15.4 million tonnes, according to the company's website, or over 300,000 barrels per day. It also runs three refineries with total crude throughput capacity of 24.1 million tonnes a year (480,000 barrels a day).