Raiffeisen Bank International lowers takeover threshold for Addiko Bank

Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) has submitted a request to Austria's takeover regulator to reduce the minimum acceptance threshold in its public takeover bid for Addiko Bank. The current threshold is set at over 75% of Addiko shares, but RBI aims to lower it to the statutory minimum of 50% after confirming it already controls 50.72% of the shares.

If approved, the lower threshold would undermine rival New Ljubljanska Banka's (NLB) improved offer of €37 per share, which is about 40% higher than RBI's €26.50 per share bid. RBI’s move could make the NLB proposal irrelevant and consolidate its position in the regional banking market, which includes operations in Serbia, Bosnia‑Herzegovina and Montenegro. The acceptance period for the offer ends on 22 July.