SERBIA:
Serbian president expects good privatization outcome in case of Komercijalna
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in Munich Friday he was satisfied with the parties interested in Komercijalna banka and that it was important to avoid the put option. According to unofficial reports, under an agreement signed in 2006, the EBRD has the right to activate the put option in case it is not satisfied with the sale of the bank and sell its stake to the Serbian government at a predetermined price, along with other major stakeholders such as the IFC, Swedfund and Germany's DEG fund. When asked if he had more information following a meeting with Lazard - the French company named as the consultant in the process of selecting a strategic partner for the bank - Vucic responded affirmatively but declined to elaborate for the time being.
Izvor: Tanjug
Bottler Coca-Cola HBC buys Serbian confectionary firm Bambi
Soft drink bottler Coca-Cola HBC said on Monday it would buy Serbian biscuit and confectionary maker Bambi for an enterprise value of 260 million euros (£227.84 million) from private equity investor Mid Europa Partners. The Swiss-based company, which bottles and sells Coca-Cola Co drinks in 28 countries, said Bambi had revenue of around 80 million euros in 2018, of which more than two thirds were earned in Serbia and the rest in the Western Balkans.
Source: euronews.com
Share of NPL’s in total loans decreased by 4.1 pp to 5.7% in December, NBS said
From the start of 2018, the share of NPLs in total loans decreased by 4.1 pp to 5.7 pct in December, the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) has announced. Corporate NPL ratio was down by 5.3 pp to 5.1 pct, and the household NPL ratio by 1.3 pp to 4.4 pct. NPL coverage remained high nonetheless - in December 2018, allowances for impairment of total loans stood at 78.7 pct of NPLs, while regulatory provisions for balance sheet exposure continued to fully cover gross NPLs, by 162.2 pct. Also, following the introduction of Basel III standards, capital adequacy ratio went up further, reaching 22.8 pct at end-Q3 2018 and testifying to the high capitalisation of the domestic banking sector, the NBS February Inflation Report said.
Source: Tanjug, NBS
REGION:
Jadar project of great importance for Serbia – Loznica has 10% of global lithium reserves
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that the realization of the Jadar project would be of great importance for the development of Serbia and Podrinje, considering that 10% of the global lithium reserves are located there. This is one of Serbia's greatest hopes. This is the jadarite mineral and it now remains to be seen how lithium will be extracted, which is used in electric vehicle batteries – Vucic said while visiting Loznica.
Source: Ekapija
INO:
NYSE closed, European markets edge higher on US-China trade deal hopes, Wirecard shares jump 14%
European stocks moved slightly higher on average Monday, as market participants continued to monitor trade talks between the world's two largest economies. The pan-European Stoxx 600 finished up 0.21 percent provisionally, with sectors and major bourses pointing in opposite directions.
Europe's telecom stocks led the gains on Monday, up around 1 percent amid a flurry of rating upgrades. Switzerland's Sunrise was among the top performers after Berenberg upgraded the stock to "buy" from "hold." Shares of the company rose more than 3.4 percent.
Looking at other individual stocks, Germany's Wirecard surged to the top of the European benchmark after financial watchdog BaFin issued a ban against establishing or increasing short positions in the company's stock. Shares of the firm jumped 14 percent on the news.
Meanwhile, soft drink bottler Coca-Cola HBC announced on Monday it would buy Serbian biscuit and confectionery maker Bambi for an enterprise value of 260 million euros ($294 million). Shares of the London-listed stock were under pressure during mid-morning deals but recovered to finish around the flat-line.
Source: CNBC