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AMCON divestment from Keystone Bank to generate acquisition interests

16 Feb 2016, 12:46 pm
Chibuike Oguh
AMCON divestment from Keystone Bank to generate acquisition interests

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- Keystone bank has total assets of about N317.6 billion, equity of about N18.9 billion and a loan portfolio of about N98.2 billion.

- The move to divest from Keystone Bank could attract other Nigerian banks seeking to build scale.

Keystone Bank logo

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) has invited prospective investors to bid for Keystone Bank, a mid-sized Nigerian bank.

Keystone Bank is one of three bridge banks created in 2011 after the federal government nationalized and rebranded three distressed banks. Thus, Bank PHB became Keystone Bank, Spring Bank became Enterprise Bank, and Afribank became Mainstreet Bank.

In a public notice published on Monday, AMCON said prospective investors should submit bids for 100 percent shareholding in Keystone Bank by March 4th. Bids submitted by prospective investors must show their credibility and eligibility for the transaction.

Citibank Nigeria and FBN Capital have been appointed by AMCON as financial advisers to manage the bidding process.

The move to divest from Keystone Bank comes after AMCON divested from Mainstreet Bank (acquired by Skye Bank for N126 billion) and Enterprise Bank (acquired by Heritage Bank for N56 billion).

Keystone bank has total assets of about N317.6 billion ($1.60 billion), equity of about N18.9 billion and a loan portfolio of about N98.2 billion, according to the bank’s audited accounts as of June 2015.

As of December 31, 2015, Keystone Bank had 156 branches across Nigeria and four subsidiaries: Global Bank Liberia Limited; Keystone Insurance Limited; Keystone Bank, Sierra Leone; and Keystone Healthcare Limited, according to the bank’s website.

The move to divest from Keystone Bank could attract other Nigerian banks seeking to build scale. Last week Sterling Bank reportedly said it was seeking to acquire other Nigerian banks to build scale as a result of weak market conditions caused by slower economic growth and sharp drop in the value of the naira.


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