“We are not holding any talks on the takeover of Ūkio Bankas’ assets and liabilities. We are not taking part in further stages of this process due to lack of information and time,” Ieva Kulvinskaitė, head of communication at SEB Bankas, Lithuania’s biggest commercial bank, told BNS.
“We notified the temporary administrator of Ūkio Bankas on Friday that we would not take part in this process any longer,” Andrius Vilkancas, spokesman for DNB Bankas, told BNS when asked about the talks on the takeover of Ūkio Bankas’ assets.
He would not specify the reasons that prompted the bank to take such a decision.
Meanwhile, the executives of Finasta stated once again that the bank was interested in all possibilities.
“We are interested in everything that can be acquired, and the decision will depend on the central bank,” Andrius Barštys, Finasta chairman and CEO, told BNS when asked whether the bank was still interested in Ūkio Bankas.
Swedbank, Lithuania’s second-biggest commercial bank by assets, confirmed last week that it would not take part in the takeover of the failed bank. Antanas Danys, Swedbank CEO, then said that this had been decided due to lack of information and the speed of the procedure.
Meanwhile, Šiaulių Bankas, a Lithuanian bank that is controlled by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and a group of local investors, has already started negotiations on taking over Ūkio Bankas' assets and liabilities. To that end, Šiaulių Bankas, which is Lithuania's seventh-biggest bank by assets, last Wednesday signed a letter of intent with Adomas Audickas, Ūkio Bankas' temporary administrator, and opened the talks on the same day.
Moreover, Šiaulių Bankas on Friday applied to the Competition Council for the clearance of its takeover some assets and liabilities of Ukio Bankas and 100 percent of shares in its subsidiaries, including Ūkio Banko Lizingas (Ūkio Bank Leasing), the life insurance company Bonum Publicum and Sporto Klubų Investicijos (Sports Clubs Investments).
On Monday, the board of the Bank of Lithuania plans to discuss the findings and proposals on the restoration of operating stability and reliability of Ūkio Bankas, which the temporary administrator of the failed bank submitted on weekend. The meeting of the board has been scheduled for 5 PM.
