Access Bank in talks to acquire Atlas Mara assets in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia

Details Written by Mary Ugbodaga | TheCable NG Also available: FR Published: December 02, 2020 5:31 PM

Access Bank, Nigeria’s biggest bank by customer base, is in talks to acquire some assets belonging to Atlas Mara Limited, a financial services group, in order to expand its reach on the continent.

Bloomberg reports that Access Bank is interested in Atlas Mara’s businesses in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia, however, the report said deliberations are still at preliminary stages and no final decision has been made.

If successful, it will mark the second transaction between Atlas Mara and Access Bank after agreeing to buy its Mozambique unit in September 2020.

The deal will also leave Atlas Mara with its largest investment, a 49.97 percent stake in Union Bank of Nigeria.

Zambia was listed among Atlas Mara’s discontinued operations in its first-half (H1) 2020 earnings report.

“Our operations in Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Rwanda still remain classified as discontinued operations as the Group is still committed to implementing the strategic decision to dispose of these subsidiaries and continues to actively evaluate several options with the objective of completing a strategic transaction in 2020,” Atlas Mara’s H1 2020 interim report read.

Bloomberg said Atlas Mara, which has lost 96 percent of its value since listing on London Stock Exchange in 2013, is exiting markets or seeking partners in countries where it doesn’t see opportunities to bulk up or make money.