January 30 (SeeNews) - A senior official of the Hellenic Financial Stability Fund (HFSF) said the Serbian subsidiaries of all four Greek systemic banks are up for sale, Belgrade-based media reported over the weekend.
Vojvodjanska banka, owned by the National Bank of Greece (NBG), Piraeus Banka, Eurobank Serbia and Alpha Bank Serbia are seeking buyers, as the deal for Alpha Bank Serbia will be closed soon, HFSE non-executive general council member Radovan Jelasic said in an interview with daily Danas on Saturday.
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HFSF is most interested in the sale of Vovodjanska banka, as it holds a 38.92% stake in NBG, and of Piraeus banka, in which the fund controls 25.95%, Jelasic said.
The money from the sale of the banks is needed not only by HFSF but also by Greek taxpayers, he added.
The sale of the four Serbian subsidiaries is part of the European Commission's plans for the restructuring of the four Greek lenders, which include capital hikes and reducing their presence abroad.
Eurobank has already sold its Ukrainian unit Universal Bank, Alpha Bank disposed of its branch network in Bulgaria and Eurobank sold subsidiaries in Poland and Turkey.
HFSF, founded in July 2010 to keep the stability of the Greek banking system, also controls a 11.01% shareholding in Alpha Bank and 2.38% stake in Eurobank, both without voting rights.
Elsewhere in Southeastern Europe, the four Greek banks have presence in Bulgaria, Romania, Albania and Macedonia.