On February 13th, Belgium's leading bank KBC expressed interest in potential acquisitions in Central European markets, including Romania as CEO Johan Thijs informed Reuters.
The bank, already operating in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, and Bulgaria, is exploring opportunities in both the banking and insurance sectors as Thijs highlighted. He stated, "We are definitely looking into possibilities on the M&A front," noting readiness to consider available banking or insurance entities.
Thijs mentioned, "If something becomes available in Romania, we would be interested as well." The CEO mentioned the bank has identified potential targets but refrained from giving specifics.
Additionally, Thijs expressed KBC's interest in acquiring the state-owned Belgian insurer Ethias, underlining interest in such a purchase when the opportunity arises amidst prior political tensions regarding its sale.
In 2024, the bank's Central European branches significantly contributed to its robust performance, representing nearly 50% of annual net earnings.
Amid broader consolidation within Europe's banking sphere, the CEO referenced instances involving Spain's BBVA, smaller rival Sabadell, Commerzbank from Italy's UniCredit, and Dutch entities exploring takeover possibilities in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
Thijs urged Europe to review banking regulations, drawing parallels to President Donald Trump's actions on deregulating the U.S. banking sector. He noted, "One good thing about the behavior of Mr. Trump is that it might cause the European institutions to reconsider their positions on a European Banking Union." Thijs expressed skepticism towards full self-regulation in the sector, cautioning that the regulatory pendulum has swung excessively.