Southeast Asia’s second- and fifth-largest banks Oversea-Chinese Banking Corp (OCBC) and CIMB are vying for a controlling stake in Bank Pan Indonesia (Panin Bank), three people with knowledge of the matter said.
Singapore-based OCBC and Malaysia’s CIMB have submitted non-binding offers for the stake offered by Australian lender ANZ and Indonesia’s Gunawan family, which founded Jakarta-listed Panin Bank in 1971, two of the people said.
ANZ owns a 39.22% stake in the bank, while the Gunawan family holds 46.52%, according to LSEG data.
Their combined controlling stake is worth about $2.4 billion based on Monday’s closing price of 1,900 rupiah ($0.1197) per share, LSEG data showed.
Non-binding bids for the stake are due this month, the sources said on condition of anonymity as the deal talks were confidential. Reuters first reported the plans to sell a controlling stake in October.
Southeast Asia’s fourth-largest bank Malayan Banking Bhd (Maybank) is working with an adviser on a potential bid, said the third source and a fourth person with direct knowledge of the matter.
Other interested buyers include Japanese lenders Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp, said the third source.
Panin Bank did not respond to requests for comment, while OCBC, CIMB, the two Japanese banks and Maybank declined to comment.
The sale has attracted interest from larger rivals seeking to capitalise on the fast-growing economy of Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest, and gain control of a bank with a portfolio ranging from consumer financing to private wealth.
Shares of Panin Bank have climbed 58.3% year-to-date, giving it a total market value of $2.84 billion, LSEG data showed.
Panin Bank was trading at a price-to-book ratio of 0.88 times, in line with peers such as Bank CIMB Niaga and Bank Permata at 0.88 and 0.86 times respectively, but higher than Bank OCBC NISP at 0.78 and Bank Maybank Indonesia at 0.56 times, LSEG data on Tuesday showed.
ANZ has been attempting to exit Panin Bank since 2013, but valuation concerns had hampered its efforts. It first bought a 29% stake in the Jakarta-listed lender in 1999 and subsequently raised its holding.
The sale comes as ANZ, under outgoing CEO Shayne Elliott, has been reducing its presence in Asia to focus on operations at home and boost its return on equity.
ANZ declined to comment.
Panin Bank was founded by Indonesian businessman Mu’min Ali Gunawan, 85, in 1971 and the bank listed on the Jakarta stock exchange in 1982.
Gunawan is the ultimate beneficiary of the family’s ownership in the bank, according to the bank’s disclosures. The family is expected to retain some of its holding following the sale.
In 2023, Panin Bank’s net profit dropped 8.16% on-year to 3.01 trillion rupiah ($189.79 million) due to a decline in net interest income, its 2023 annual report showed.
Reuters
