The stakes, owned by a London-listed financial services firm Atlas Mara Limited, will involve 62% of the share capital of Rwanda’s Banque Populaire du and 100% in African Banking Corporation of Zambia, African Banking Corporation in Tanzania and African Banking Corporation Mozambique.
The arrangement will see Atlas Mara Limited having a 6.27% stake in Equity Group, Kenya’s biggest bank by market value.
“Getting a stake in Equity Group means Atlas Mara becomes a meaningful shareholder in one of Africa’s most successful and well-run banks.
“The transaction will result in increased scale in Rwanda and Tanzania once Atlas Mara and Equity combine their operations there," Atlas Mara said in a statement on Tuesday.
“The deal will allow Equity Group to expand its footprint in Africa," Kenya's Equity Group said.
According to the Equity statement, the transaction is worth about 10.7 billion shillings ($105 million).
Here are a few details about the deal
- Equity Group will issue 252,482,300 new shares, representing 6.27% of its expanded share capital in consideration of the shares Atlas Mara owns in the four targeted African banks.
- The monetary value of the consideration to be paid is the equivalent of 10.7 billion shillings (approximately $105 million)
- The deal is subject to regulatory approvals in the various countries – Kenya and UK
- Equity added it may also seek to buy additional stakes in Banque Populaire du Rwanda from some or all of the remaining shareholders.
- After the deal, Atlas Mara Limited will become one of Equity’s shareholders.