Piraeus Bank agrees to sell its Serbia operations
Piraeus Bank, Greece’s largest bank by assets, agreed to sell its Serbian operations to Serbia’s Direktna Banka, Piraeus said on Tuesday.
The bank is still struggling with problem loans after recession in Greece pushed unemployment to record highs. It has said it will slim down by selling wholly owned subsidiaries in Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Albania and Ukraine to reduce its foreign exposure.
Piraeus said Direktna will acquire its Serbian banking and leasing activities for 58 million euros to 61 million euros, depending on the financial performance of the divested assets until the deal is concluded.
The transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2018, subject to regulatory approval, Piraeus said. BNP Paribas acted as its financial adviser for the sale. [Reuters]
