Ukraine’s central bank said it will nationalise Russian-owned Sense Bank, one of the country’s top commercial banks, and put it under temporary administration on Friday.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) said in a statement on Thursday it decided to “withdraw from the market the systemically important” bank and submitted a proposal to the government on the state’s participation in the process.
The “safe” transfer will not be noticeable to clients, NBU Governor Andriy Pyshnyi said.
Sense Bank, with 3 million depositors, posted losses of 7 billion hryvnias ($189.75 million) in 2022, central bank said.
Mikhail Fridman has a 32.86% stake in ABH Holdings S.A., the majority owner of Sense Bank, while Petr Aven holds 12.4%, the bank said on its website.
The billionaires are long-term partners in oil, banking and retail businesses who face Western sanctions over their alleged ties to the Kremlin following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Click here to change your cookie preferences