Alta Banka Bitola Shares to Go on the Stock Exchange After November 11: Slaveski Says Six Investors Are Interested
The National Bank has contacted two banks, and will offer the shares even without a reply from the Serbian regulator. Price, terms and names are not known.
Skopje – The National Bank will offer the shares of Alta Banka AD Bitola on the Macedonian Stock Exchange after ten days from the introduction of administration. The administration was introduced on November 1, so by the editorial calculation the deadline expires on November 11, a Wednesday. This was announced by Governor Trajko Slaveski on November 3.
“There is interest from several potential investors, from the country and abroad, in taking over the Bank’s shares,” Slaveski said, and the goal is “to ensure the choice of a suitable investor”. Three days from the introduction of administration, the Serbian regulator had a deadline to answer whether the parent bank in Belgrade would offer the Macedonian bank’s shares for sale. The National Bank says it will offer them regardless of the answer.
Three days later, on November 6, from Bitola, the governor gave more detailed numbers. Six investors expressed interest, and two banks have already been contacted. “Some showed interest themselves, and we are also proactive,” he said. He described Alta Banka as “a healthy bank whose sale value is not a challenge even for mid-sized banks”, a regional bank with great potential for developing agriculture and industry.
The administration was introduced after the parent bank in Belgrade lost its licence and bankruptcy proceedings were opened against it. In the meantime, the National Bank announced three easings for clients: expanding the cash withdrawal network, raising payment card limits and allowing the use of inflows of salaries, pensions and social transfers. Amounts for these easings were not given.
Two institutions disagree on how the decision on the Serbian bank’s entry was made. Slaveski stated on November 2 that consent was granted after a three-month procedure with the participation of other institutions and that supervisors assessed that the investor met the conditions. Finance Minister Gordana Dimitrieska-Kochoska on November 5 claimed the opposite: “We as a Ministry have had absolutely no communication.” She added that “the banking sector in the Republic of Macedonia is stable” and that the problem is not a result of the bank’s operations in the country.
The Bitola bank, according to Slaveski, was under intensive supervision for five years, and Stopanska Banka Bitola before the takeover was “on glass legs”. That is his assessment of the past situation, not an audited balance sheet.
What is not known: what the sale price is, under what conditions it will be sold, who the six interested parties are and whether the Serbian regulator replied. The National Bank has not published total deposits or the duration of the administration. That is why it is early to say whether a buyer will be found in days or in months.
The first visible step is the offer on the exchange. If the deadline holds, by November 11 it will be known whether the six interests become offers.
MKNews Hub · Macedonia · November 9, 2026
