Exclusive: Kazakh state pension fund was major investor in Kazatomprom IPO - sources

By Mariya Gordeyeva and Olzhas Auyezov

ALMATY (Reuters) - Kazakhstan's state-run pension fund has bought one-third of shares sold by uranium miner Kazatomprom in its $450 million London and Astana Initial Public Offering this week, two sources familiar with the deal told Reuters.

A source close to the Kazakh government said the Unified Accumulative Pension Fund, which is managed by the central bank and replenished by mandatory contributions from all working Kazakhs, bought 33 percent of the Kazatomprom offering for $150 million and now owned a 5 percent stake in the firm.

Another source, also close to the government, confirmed that the pension fund had invested $150 million in the offering and purchased more than 30 percent of the offered stock.

(Writing by Olzhas Auyezov)