OTP Bank, the biggest Hungarian financial group, is looking tostrengthen its presence on regional markets, Romania included, withthe preferred target being a retail bank with a solid client baseand without major refinancing needs, says Laszlo Wolf, deputy CEOof the group, in charge of acquisitions.
"We are interested in a bank without big refinancing needs, anda stable deposit base. Today we are more interested in a clientbase, than in an extensive territorial network, because it wouldalso generate significant fixed operating costs. A solid clientbase, on the other hand, is revenue-generating," Wolf told ZF in aninterview.
According to market sources, OTP is discussing with IlieCarabulea the takeover of a controlling stake in Carpatica, a smallto medium-sized bank. Information flowing around the marketsuggests four other banks are in talks to change owner, among whichCredit Europe Bank, held by Turkish businessman Husnu Ozyvegin, MKBRomexterra, a member of German group Bayern LB, Millennium Bank,local subsidiary of the biggest Portuguese financial group, and RBSBank, for which its British shareholder unsuccessfully sought abuyer last year, as well, and eventually suspended the sale processbecause of the failure to find an acceptable offer.
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