The banking privatization steering committee yesterday set November 17 as the deadline for preliminary bids for the government’s 60% stake in KB. After the bids are submitted, several candidates will be short-listed and the due-diligence process will begin. These steps are in line with the government schedule, with only a slight delay; i.e., the privatization is firmly on track. According to the National Property Fund spokeswoman, there is “considerable interest” in KB. Apart from the “usual” names (Hypovereinsbank/Bank Austria, Unicredito, Banco Santander), the domestic press has mentioned for the first time Allied Irish Bank, Citibank, and French banks as possibly interested.
(Ondřej Daťka)