Karanovic & Partners in cooperation with local lawyers | View firm profile
Karanović
& Nikolić, in cooperation with the global law firm Weil, Gotshal &
Manges LLP, advised OTP Bank – one of the leading banks in Central and Eastern
Europe, on the acquisition of Vojvođanska Banka. The National Bank of Greece signed an agreement to sell its Vojvođanska Banka
unit in Serbia and NGB Leasing, as well as its corporate loan portfolio in
Serbia to Hungary's OTP Bank, for 125 million euros.
The services performed by the Karanović & Nikolić team – led
by Darko Jovanović, Ivan Nonković and Mina Srecković, included the due
diligence of Vojvođanska Banka and
its affiliates, advising on the transaction documents from the local law
perspective and the obtaining of regulatory approvals.
The acquisition is expected to be closed by the end of 2017.
Once the process is completed, the Hungarian bank will have a 5.7% market share
in Serbia – making it the seventh biggest bank in the country.
With a market share of 4.2%, Vojvođanska Bank is the ninth
biggest bank in Serbia with a substantial base of retail clients. In 2016, the
bank's total assets stood at 1.17 million euros, with the total value of
approved loans of 810 million EUR. In 2015 and 2016 the bank had a 1.9% and
2.3% return on equity respectively. It currently has more than 1400 employees,
105 branches and 138 ATMs.