Two consortia line up to buy BGŻ's shares

Bank BGŻ announced on Friday that two consortia are negotiating the purchase of its shares. The bank's president, Jacek Bartkiewicz, did not disclose any names, but the consortia are made up of both financial and sector investors who want to keep the stocks for 3-5 years. The drawn out negotiations have forced the shareholders to postpone increasing the bank's equity from June to the end of October. Next year, the bank plans another share issue and consequently, the Treasury Ministry's share in BGŻ will drop to less than 50%. The Ministry will still, however, maintain control over the bank's supervisory board, as outlined in the bank's statute until the state's share in BGŻ drops below 25%.