"I think everything will happen at the agreed time," Alexei Kudrin told journalists.
The foreign trade bank VTB and savings bank Sberbank may hold IPOs next May, the VTB chief executive said earlier Thursday.
"I think we and Sberbank should first obtain authorization for this, and then launch negotiations," Andrei Kostin said.
He said the talks were necessary because the IPOs of the two banks would affect approximately the same group of investors.
VTB is set to merge with St. Petersburg-based Industry and Construction Bank (ICB), Russia's largest bank outside Moscow.
Kostin said VTB would agree to delay the process if necessary, and might or might not include ICB in its financial report before launching the IPO.
The government said last week it would retain controlling stakes in VTB and Sberbank for the next five years but the state's ownership would be gradually reduced over the coming years.
VTB is seeking further international expansion, with branches to operate in 21 countries in the next 18 months. New branches are set to be launched in ex-Soviet republics and in Asia, including in Vietnam, China, and India.
As of June 30, 2006, VTB Group had 151 branches in 13 countries.
