Three pull out of AIB’s Polish sale

THREE of the bigger international names linked with a potential bid for AIB’s €2 billion stake in its Polish bank have withdrawn their interest, reports suggest.

In addition, Poland’s financial regulator has said it would oppose the purchase of Bank Zachodni WBK (BZWBK) by any foreign bank that has received government aid, putting in question a potential bid by France’s BNP Paribas.

Reports from Poland suggest that HSBC and Italian banking groups, Unicredito and Intesa Sanpaolo have effectively pulled out of the race to buy out AIB’s Polish interests. Those banks were thought to be on a shortlist of seven companies set to bid — along with BNP Paribas, US-headquartered private equity house, Apax Partners, and Poland’s largest two lenders, PKO Bank Polski and Bank Pekao.