FMB obtains approval for Opportunity Bank acquisition

FMB Bank (FMB) has confirmed that it has received approvals from the Reserve Bank of Malawi and the High Court to proceed with its acquisition and merger of Opportunity International Bank Malawi (OIBM). This follows an agreement reached in June between FMB and OIBM in which FMB acquired 100% ownership of the micro lending institution. It comes soon after FMB’s parent company FMB Capital Holdings plc completed its acquisition of Barclays Bank of Zimbabwe.

The deal means that OIBM’s 400 000+ customers will soon become customers of FMB and OIBM will cease operations. Group Managing Director of FMB Capital Holdings plc, Dheeraj Dikshit said, ‘With all approvals now in place we will shortly commence the process of integrating the operations of both banks. Our operating systems are extremely robust, reliable and adaptable and we have taken every step to ensure that the integration process is seamless with little to no disruption to normal services for both OIBM and FMB customers.’

In addition to its significantly increased customer base the acquisition will also add another eight branches to FMB’s network while OIBM’s remaining branches will merge into FMB branches.

Director of FMB Capital Holdings plc, Hitesh Anadkat commented, ‘This is an exciting development for the bank and we welcome our new customers to FMB. We look forward to continuing the work done by OIBM in promoting financial inclusion to all Malawians. At the same time, we believe that this acquisition will benefit our new customers by giving them access to a broad range of financial products, committed customer service and an advanced operating infrastructure.’

Anadkat continued, ‘FMBCH and its subsidiaries are on a growth trajectory. Our recent acquisitions both here in Malawi and in Zimbabwe are directly in line with our regional expansion strategy and can only be of benefit to all our stakeholders – investors, customers, staff and the communities in which we operate.’

According to FMB the actual migration of OIBM customer accounts to FMB’s operating system will take place from close of business on 3rd November with OIBM customers having access to their new FMB accounts on 6th November.

About FMB Bank

First Merchant Bank Limited (FMB) is a subsidiary of FMB Capital Holdings plc (FMBCH) and is registered as a commercial bank under the Banking Act 2010. FMBCH is a public limited liability company incorporated in Mauritius and is listed on the Malawi Stock Exchange (MSE).

FMB offers a broad range of financial services to both corporate and personal customers with a branch network extending throughout Malawi.