fbpx

Kenya’s KCB Beats Other Investors In Bid To Take Over Failed Chase Bank

Kenya’s KCB Beats Other Investors In Bid To Take Over Failed Chase Bank

Kenya’s largest bank by assets, KCB Group, has won a bid to take over Chase Bank, a local mid-tier lender that was put under receivership barely two weeks ago after run-ins by jittery depositors caused a liquidity crisis.

Patrick Njoroge, Kenya’s central bank governor, told a press briefing on Wednesday that the customers of the failed lender will be able access their money from Wednesday next week from KCB via Chase Bank branches.

The branches will however only be allowed to conduct limited banking services under KCB’s management.

“With the endorsement of the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) has today reached understanding with the KCB Bank Kenya (KCB) on modalities to reopen Chase Bank Ltd., in the next few days and the eventual acquisition of a majority stake in the bank,” the regulator said in a statement seen by AFKInsider.

While Chase Bank’s online and mobile banking services will be accessible from mid next week, depositors will only be allowed to withdraw a maximum of 1 million shillings ($10,000).

CBK said a “moratorium on payment to creditors and lenders will remain in place” as negotiations on how they will be dealt with continue.

KCB beat three local and international investors, including Qatar-based QNB that has been eying financial institutions, including Barclays Africa, in Kenya and across the region and South Africa’s Rand Merchant Bank.

Chase bank had over 170,000 customers, most of them corporate clients, with 62 branches across the country. By the time of its sudden closure on April 7 the bank had accumulated $732 million in deposits.

Kenya’s central bank governor, Patrick Njoroge, told a media briefing last week that he had received about five offer to buy the collapsed mid-tier lender. He said on Wednesday he had received a total of nine offers before settling on KCB.

Three bank, including Imperial Bank and Dubai Bank, have collapsed in the East African nation since August 2015 due to what has been termed as toxic insider loans to companies associated with directors and top executives.

KCB together with Diamond Trust Bank were also picked by CBK to pay retail depositors when Imperial Bank failed.