Russian Sberbank, which bought the local branch of Austrian Volksbank in Slovenia in 2012, decided to after three years, withdraw from the small financial market at which it currently hs around 5% share in the banking industry.
President of Sberbank in Slovenia, Ogris Maric, confirmed that they got the announcement about plans for the closure from the owner, saying that they are surprised but that, regardless to that fact, they are operating normally and that the possible sale to the new owner will not affect the quality of services and agreed relations with clients.
The newspaper “Dnevnik“ from Ljubljana states that the leadership in the central office of the Russian bank decided on a withdraw from Slovenia because it is a relatively small market at which, after two years of an intensive business activities, experienced a slowdown, while media states that last year Sberbank recorded the increase in bad loans, as in operation with companies as well as with citizens.
In the first six months of this year, Sberbank Slovenia had a balance of 1.94 billion EUR, making it the eighth bank in the country in which it has 12 branches. In the last year, it had a profit of 6.9 million EUR.
As media states, American investment fund “Apollo“ is interesting in taking over the portfolio of the Sberbank in Slovenia. That fund recently bought the New Credit Bank Maribor (NKBM), whose market share in Slovenia is 9.4%. Russian bank Expobank is also interested in the purchase of the Sberbank in Slovenia and it would also buy the Slovenian Gorenjska bank.
“Dnevnik“, which refers to one statement of the general director of Sberbank, Sergej Gorkov, from few months ago, states that after Slovenia, that bank could withdraw from Serbia, Hungary and B&H, from the same reasons, i.e. too small market but also the change in the business strategy.
(Source: fokus.ba)
