BY NKECHI NAECHE-ESEZOBOR–Access Holdings PLC, on Friday announced that it has received final regulatory approval from the Bank of Zambia tp acquire and merge African Banking Corporation Zambia Limited into its existing operations.
The bank disclosed this in a statement signed by its Company Secretary, Sunday Ekwochi and made available to BusinessToday Online that ” further to its announcement on October 25, 2021, Access Holdings Plc (Access Holdings) is pleased to announce that Access Bank Zambia Limited (“Access Zambia”), a subsidiary of its flagship subsidiary, Access Bank Plc , has received final regulatory approval from the Central Bank of Zambia for the acquisition and merger of African Banking Corporation Zambia Limited (“Atlas Mara Zambia”) into its existing operations (‘the Transaction’).
The statement added that “Central Bank of Nigeria and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Competition Commission had earlier granted their “no objection” to the Transaction in 2022.
“Access Zambia will now move towards integrating and merging Atlas Mara Zambia into its operations, which is expected to create one of the top five banks in Zambia.”
Commenting on the transaction, Dr. Herbert Wigwe, Group Chief Executive Access Holdings said: “The transaction builds on our earlier acquisition and merger of Cavmont Bank Plc into Access Bank Zambia and underscores our resolve to strengthen our presence in Zambia, a key African market that fits into our strategic focus on geographic earnings growth and diversification.
The combination of the two banks will create significant synergies between Access Zambia’s world class wholesale and transaction banking capabilities and Atlas Mara Zambia’s market leading retail and public sector capabilities to form a market leading universal banking platform that will greatly impact the Zambia market”
The Transaction is expected to be completed in Q3, 2023.
