Italy’s UniCredit SpA, Austria’s two top banks and Romania’s largest lender are interested in buying the Bucharest-based unit of OTP Bank Nyrt., in a deal that may value the business at €300 million ($329 million) or more, people with knowledge of the matter said.
(Bloomberg) — Italy’s UniCredit SpA, Austria’s two top banks and Romania’s largest lender are interested in buying the Bucharest-based unit of OTP Bank Nyrt., in a deal that may value the business at €300 million ($329 million) or more, people with knowledge of the matter said.
Besides UniCredit, Raiffeisen Bank International AG, Erste Group Bank AG and Banca Transilvania SA are among bidders for the lender that submitted non-binding offers, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private.
The deal may also include the bank’s Moldovan business, one of the people said. The process is now moving forward into the second round, the people said.
OTP said it is currently assessing potential buyers’ interest and will decide on the future of its Romanian subsidiary based on the outcome. Representatives for Erste Bank, Raiffeisen and UniCredit declined to comment. A spokesperson for Banca Transilvania declined to comment on any potential deals, citing regulation, but said the bank “has always been open to market opportunities.”
OTP is looking to exit Romania, where it has a relatively small market share despite years of attempts to make acquisitions. The Hungarian lender has been avidly buying peers in recent years on the eastern and southern fringes of Europe, aiming to reach a market-leading position in each country. Lenders across Europe are streamlining their portfolios and exiting markets where they have little share.
The Romanian unit had 1.69 trillion forint ($5 billion) of total assets at the end of last year and a 2.9% market share in the Balkan nation at the end of 2021, according to central bank data.
OTP Bank’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Sandor Csanyi said at a 2017 event that he was aiming for a 7% to 8% market share in Romania and at least 10% in other countries. The bank sold its Slovakian unit to KBC Group NV in 2020.
–With assistance from Andra Timu, Marton Eder and Sonia Sirletti.
(Updates with Banca Transilvania comment in fourth paragraph.)
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