Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) has agreed to purchase the remaining minority stake in Raiffeisenbank Austria (RBA) to take full control of its Croatian subsidiary, according to RBI sources.
By the end of the year, RBI plans to acquire this 25% stake from three shareholders within the holding company Raiffeisenbank Zagreb Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH.
The three shareholders of the holding are Raiffeisenbank Zagreb Beteiligungsgesellschaft – Raiffeisen-Landesbank Steiermark AG, which owns 60% of the stake, and Raiffeisenlandesbank Oberoesterreich AG and Raiffeisenverband Salzburg regG, which equally share the remaining 40%.
Under the new ownership structure, RBI will be an indirect full owner of the Croatian subsidiary. This transaction still requires approval from regulatory agencies.
The purchase of the minority stake is part of an ongoing process to optimize the ownership structure within the group, which is being carried out in preparation for the introduction of stricter banking rules known as Basel 3, according to RBI.
Last year, RBI also acquired minority stakes in its Czech, Slovak, and Hungarian subsidiaries in similar transactions.
