Bank of Ayudhya to acquire SHB Finance in Vietnam

[BANGKOK] Thailand's Bank of Ayudhya (BAY) said on Wednesday that it will acquire SHB Finance in Vietnam from Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank for US$155.77 million.

"We are very pleased to announce that we have signed agreements with SHB to acquire a 100 per cent stake in SHB Finance, SHB's consumer finance subsidiary," Bank of Ayudhya President Seiichiro Akita said in a statement.

Japan's Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group holds a 76.9 per cent stake in Bank of Ayudhya, Thailand's fifth largest bank by assets.

"The acquisition will enable the bank to capture growth outside of Thailand," BAY said, adding that SHB Finance has more than 200,000 borrowers.

Bank of Ayudhya is the latest lender to expand outside of Thailand for growth opportunities. In 2019, top-ranked Bangkok Bank acquired Indonesia's PT Bank Permata for about US$2.7 billion.

Earlier this year, second-ranked Kasikornbank Pcl opened its first branch in Vietnam.

The transaction is subject to regulatory approval and will have two phases with SHB transferring 50 per cent of SHB Finance to Bank of Ayudhya in the first phase. The remaining stake will be transferred in the next three years, BAY said in a bourse filing.

The investment will use the bank's internal funds.

REUTERS