ArmInfo.Bank of Georgia Group PLC ( or ) clarifies recent media rumors regarding a potential transaction involving Ameriabank CJSC (), a leading bank in Armenia, and confirms that "it is in "advanced discussions" regarding its potential acquisition of Ameriabank CJSC."
As noted in the message, "it intends to finance the acquisition, should it proceed, using its surplus capital. It does not expect this to change its dividend and capital distribution policy."
The transaction, if completed, would constitute a Class 1 transaction under the UK's FCA (Financial Conduct Authority) Listing Rules. The Company will update shareholders on progress made with respect to the acquisition as appropriate. "there is no certainty that any transaction will be signed or concluded," the message noted.
Bank of Georgia Group PLC is the first Georgian bank to be listed and successfully quoted on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) ( - LSE: BGEO LN). The bank is included in the FTSE-250 index. Its main division is JSC (, ), the leader in digital banking in Georgia, which provides a range of banking and financial services to retail customers and businesses. As noted in the message, relying on its competitive advantages, the Group strives to ensure sustainable high profitability and maximize shareholder value.
is the country's leading bank with a market share of 35.1% (by total assets), 33.8% (by total loans) and 34.6% (by customer deposits). The bank offers a wide range of services in retail banking, corporate banking and investment management. Bank of Georgia serves over 2.5 million customer accounts, has 271 branches, the country's largest ATM network (886), many express payment terminals (self-service), as well as a fully functional remote banking platform and a modern call center. The bank has credit ratings from world rating agencies: Moody's: (in foreign and national currency), Fitch Ratings: (long-term and short-term issuer default ratings); Outlook .
The shareholders of Ameriabank as of January 1, 2024 are Imast Group (S-Wye) Limited (previous name - Ameria Group (S-Wye) Limited) with a share in the capital of 48.82%, EBRD - 17.71%, Asian Bank Development (ADB) - 13.92%, ESPS Holding Limited - 12.05%, Afeyan Foundation for Armenia Inc. - 7.5%. The Bank's assets as of this date amount to $3.5 billion, loan portfolio - $2.4 billion, investments in securities - $380 million, total capital - $483.7 million, total liabilities - $3 billion, of which $2.2 billion are liabilities to customers. Ameriabank completed 2023 with a net profit of $113.8 million. Ameriabank, while maintaining its leadership in total capital, is among the top three in other main balance sheet indicators. S&P Global Ratings has assigned the bank a long-term issuer credit rating of "BB-" with a Outlook .
Ameriabank is a leading financial technology institution and plays an important role in the economy of Armenia. Following the path of digitalization, the bank has introduced a number of innovative solutions and platforms and continues to improve them, creating a dynamically developing financial and technological environment aimed at meeting various human needs. Ameria was the first in Armenia to create ecosystems for SMEs and individuals, providing access to a number of banking and non-banking services on a "one window" principle: Estate.ameriabank.am, Automarket.ameriabank.am, Business.ameriabank.am. As a customer-oriented company, Ameria strives to be a reliable financial and technological space that provides comprehensive solutions to improve the quality of life.
