Sberbank considering to sell assets in Slovakia

The conflict between the West and Russia has allegedly forced Russian bank Sberbank to begin selling its assets in Central Europe, including Slovakia, the Czech daily Lidové noviny (LN) reported on Monday. It cited a financial investor who spoke on condition of anonymity. According to the daily, Sberbank is selling assets worth €2 billion in Slovakia. Three entities have allegedly expressed interest in buying the Slovak assets: the financial group Penta, UniCredit Bank Czech Republic and Slovakia, and Hungarian bank OTP, which is also active in Slovakia. "We don't comment on rumours and speculations on the market as a matter of principle", said Sberbank Slovakia spokesperson Lubomira Chmelova cited by the TASR press agency. Sberbank, which is largely owned by the Russian Government, has been hit significantly by the EU and US sanctions against Russia, with the bank having problems gaining capital on global markets.