Sberbank ADRs – How Much Are They Worth Now & Can I Sell If Sanctions Are Lifted?
For context, I bought Sberbank in February 2022 and haven’t touched the stock since. I currently hold 23,100 shares of Sberbank PJSC Sponsored ADR, which was worth around $21.3K at the time.
I’m curious—how much are my ADRs worth now? And if sanctions are lifted, would I be able to sell them?
From what I understand:
Sberbank ADRs are no longer trading on Western exchanges, so their market price outside Russia is basically $0.
In Russia, Sberbank’s local shares (SBER) are trading at around 340 RUB per share on MOEX.
Each ADR represents 4 local shares, meaning my 23,100 ADRs would be equivalent to 92,400 Russian shares.
At today’s prices, that would be worth about 31.4 million RUB (~$347K USD at 1 USD = 90 RUB).
(is this calculation correct?)
The problem is, I can’t convert or sell them because:
Sanctions prevent Western investors from trading Russian stocks.
Russia delisted Sberbank ADRs, and converting them into local shares requires a Russian broker, which I can’t access.
Even if I could convert them, capital controls make it nearly impossible to withdraw money from Russia.
So, for now, my shares are essentially frozen. If sanctions are lifted at some point, I might be able to convert them and sell, but that depends on whether Russia allows foreign investors to repatriate funds.
Anyone else in a similar situation? What are your thoughts on this?