Leading Spanish bank interested in purchase of 30% of NLB

The biggest Spanish bank - Banco Santander - is interested in takeover of the share of 30% in Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB), which is currently owned by Belgian group KBC.

According to Slovenian business websites, the Spaniards revealed that intention of theirs to Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor during his official visit to Madrid in November 2009.

Slovenian Government is, allegedly, inclined to that option, but further development of events completely depends on KBC, of which share in NLB amounts to nearly 33% and it intends to sell it.

This Spanish bank is, by the way, the second largest European bank in the value of market capitalization, and the media remind that, so far, the most possible buyer of Belgian share in NLB has been British investment fund "Apax".

At the last press conference in 2009, Pehor stated that Slovenia wanted to keep its majority share in its biggest bank and he added that NLB, which would be additionally capitalized with 250m EUR by the state in 2010, needed strategic partner after all.

NLB Banka a.d. Beograd

Nova Ljubljanska banka d.d. Ljubljana

KBC Bank AG Brüssel

Mobi Banka ad Beograd

Nova Ljubljanska banka

Banco Santander

Borut Pahor

Madrid

Apax