Gazprom picks RenCap, Gazprombank for $10 bln bond

MOSCOW, April 6 (Reuters) - Russian gas export monopoly Gazprom (GAZP.MM) has picked Gazprombank and Renaissance Capital to arrange a 300 billion roubles ($10.24 billion) bond programme, Russia's biggest ever, Gazprom said on Tuesday.

Rouble bonds have become hot again on the local fixed-income market after months of post-crisis drought as oil prices returned to $80 a barrel and the rouble is testing 15-month peaks RUS=MCX [ID:nLDE6351JY].

In March alone, state-run bank VTB (VTBR.MM) raised 20 billion roubles in domestic bonds, steel maker Evraz HK1q.L raised 15 billion roubles, and its peer NLMK (NLMK.MM) sold 10 billion roubles in bonds.

Gazprom, Russia's most indebted firm with borrowings of around $50 billion, but which needs billions of dollars in investments to launch new deposits and pipelines, plans to raise the sum in 13 issues over the next five years. ($1=29.29 Rouble) (Reporting by Dmitry Sergeyev; editing by Simon Jessop)