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Weekly Lists
May 19, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 26
bne:Banker
Eight prospective bidders for Eurobank’s Romanian subsidiary Bancpost
NLB could still be sold in one go if interest
is high enough, SSH chairman says
There are eight prospective bidders interested in the Romanian subsidiary of Eurobank, Bancpost, unofficial sources told Ziarul Financiar daily. Bancpost is the ninth largest bank in Romania and had a NPL ratio of 9.1% (below market’s average) at the end of September 2016.
Bancpost, with total assets of €2.8bn, has a network of 147 branches in Romania, which is one of Eurobank's biggest markets outside Greece. It had a market share of 3% at the end of 2015 and reported €2.5bn in assets (5.7% up y/y) at the end of September 2016 and €6.9mn profit in Q1-Q3, 2016.
Among prospective bidders might be OTP, a bank that announced that it is envisaging taking over banking assets in Romania.
Slovenia’s largest lender Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB) could still be sold in one go if the interest is high enough, Slovenian Sovereign Holding (SSH) chairman Lidia Glavina told the parliamentary Public Finances Oversight Commission on May 18, Slovenian Press Agency (STA) reported.
Previously, the government received the European Commission's approval for the gradual sale of the bank, which was nationalised in 2013. On May 15, NLB has announced plans to proceed with an IPO of at least 50% of its existing ordinary shares on the Ljubljana Stock Exchange (LJSE). NLB also plans to list global depository receipts on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).
Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI), the second largest bank operating across Central and Eastern Europe by assets, reported that net profit almost doubled year-on-year to €220mn in the first quarter as its Russian business started to bounce back.
The better than expected result was helped by a 4.7% y/y rise in net interest income, boosted by the impact of the appreciating ruble on its Russian business, and a 24% fall in provisioning costs for impairments, as RBI’s markets, particularly Russia, continue their recovery. The average prediction of a Reuters poll of analysts had been for net profit of €151mn.
RBI doubles net profit y/y in Q1 as Russian business recovers