Austrian newspaper claims István Tiborcz eyes Raiffeisen's Russian subsidiary
The sale of the Russian subsidiary is particularly complicated as it must be approved by both Russian and Western authorities. So far, Raiffeisen has only stated that it will not comment on potential buyers or the content of the sale negotiations. The banking group has not yet found a buyer approved by all the relevant regulatory authorities.
The Russians reportedly have no objections to István Tiborcz buying the bank. According to the newspaper, the Hungarian businessman has supporters, particularly within the Russian Central Bank. The article also mentions Alexei Ropik, a pharmaceutical magnate close to Vladimir Putin, as one of the background supporters who would
help Tiborcz acquire a 60 percent majority stake in the Russian subsidiary bank.
The newspaper understands that a second group of buyers has emerged in the form of a Russian-Western consortium that is reportedly seeking to purchase a 30% minority stake in the bank and is not included on the sanctions lists.
During his visit to Washington, the paper claims, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán tried to ascertain the US position on the issue and received the response from Donald Trump that he would look into the matter. In February, the Austrian paper wrote about the alleged purchase intention it had heard about.
However, István Tiborcz's company group, BDPST, denied the rumours, according to the newspaper:
Neither Tiborcz nor BDPST wish to acquire Raiffeisen Bank's Russian subsidiary.
Meanwhile, Raiffeisen's share price is currently up 0.1% on the Vienna Stock Exchange, having risen 63% since the beginning of the year.
Cover image (for illlustration purposes only): Getty Images
