Bank Austria Creditanstalt has acquired an 83.27% stake in Nova Banjalucka Banka (NBB) in Srpska, Bosnia & Herzegovina.

NBB is the number three bank in Srpska with total assets of €121mn (as at June 30, 2005) and a market share of 12.5%. In the wider Bosnian banking sector it ranks in 12th place with a 2.4% market share.  With a network of 72 offices and a total of 512 employees, the bank serves about 150,000 retail customers.

The acquisition bolsters Bank Austria’s existing presence in Bosnia & Herzegovina where it operates HVB Central Profit Banka – which has 37 branches, and some 150,000 customers.

The sellers of the majority interest in NBB are Dragoljub Lekic and European Construction. The remaining 16.73% is owned by minority shareholders.