Leading Portuguese Bank's Capital Increase Fully Subscribed
Lisbon – 2 June, 2014 - Euronext, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Intercontinental Exchange (NYSE: ICE), announced today that on 6 June it will list 13,850,477,957 new Banif shares on its regulated market as a result of a capital increase that was on offer from 19 to 30 May. Banif is one of the leading banks in Portugal and has been part of the finance industry for 25 years with a network of branches in diverse regions.
This capital increase is part of Banif's capitalisation plan that also includes a public investment element of EUR 700m, issued to the government on 25 January 2013, and the issue of Tier 1 capital instruments conditionally convertible into shares worth EUR 400m.
Euronext's Lisbon CEO, Luís Laginha de Sousa, stressed: "It's a source of great satisfaction that, through Euronext Lisbon, listed companies can raise money to strengthen their equity base", adding, "Capitalisation is a priority common to all Portuguese companies. The success of each issue, aside from its individual dimension, is also a positive contribution to the economy as a whole and a stimulus for greater use of the capital market."
According to Jorge Tomé, Banif CEO: "This capital increase is to round off the recapitalisation process by going out to private investors, allowing control of the bank to be returned to private investors, as a consolidated value-creation project. It also enables Banif to continue its sustainable strategy to get back on the path to profitability, and restore its capacity to generate capital organically and allow it to return the state's investment."
In the second half of 2013, Banif went to private investors four times for capital increases amounting to EUR 311.5m. The number of shareholders rose significantly, from around 5,500 in December 2012 to around 27,000 in December 2013.
Banif's origins go back 22 years when it first listed on the Portuguese Stock Exchange. As of 30 May 2014 its market capitalisation is EUR 331m.. It is currently a market leader in the autonomous regions of Madeira and the Azores. It has a presence in the Portuguese communities of Venezuela and South Africa, offering personal banking services and a broad range of products.