Financial markets in the Alps-Adriatic region may be gearing up for a renewed bid to acquire Addiko Bank AG, the Vienna-based Austrian lender that operates a network of retail banks in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro. According to sources familiar with the situation cited by Bloomberg Adria, negotiations have been ongoing between key shareholders and potential bidders, with market participants discussing the possibility of a fresh approach after previous attempts to secure control of the bank stalled.
The speculation centres on Nova Ljubljanska Banka (NLB) and its potential interest in re-launching an acquisition strategy, possibly in collaboration with regional investors holding significant stakes in Addiko’s share capital. In prior takeover efforts, NLB sought to win control by offering a premium on the market price of Addiko’s shares, but those bids failed to reach the high shareholder acceptance threshold required for a successful compulsory acquisition.
Under the latest scenario under discussion, NLB would pursue the acquisition of Addiko Bank’s core network outside Slovenia, with negotiating partners including major shareholders such as Serbian investor Davor Macura, whose Alta Group holds a meaningful voting stake in the bank. Following a successful bid, NLB could potentially assume Addiko’s operations in Serbia and Montenegro while retaining other segments of the business, a structure that would enable the Slovenian group to re-enter markets from which it has been absent for decades.
Representatives of the parties involved have declined to publicly comment on market rumours, underscoring the early and confidential nature of the discussions. Nonetheless, the renewed buzz around Addiko Bank’s strategic future has already influenced investor sentiment, with the bank’s share price showing heightened trading activity as stakeholders assess the implications of a possible new takeover bid.
