Alta Bank AD Bitola: Governor Slaveski says bank is healthy, new owner sought

Alta Bank AD Bitola remains financially sound, with strong capital and liquidity, the governor of the National Bank told the Committee on Finance and Budget today, while the central bank works to find a new owner for the lender.

Central Bank placed the bank under temporary administration after a foreign licence was revoked

Governor Trajko Slaveski said the bank's capitalisation is almost 26%, well above the statutory minimum of 8% and far above the insolvency threshold of under 2%. He added the bank's liquidity is high and the quality of its loan portfolio is good, with non-performing exposures accounting for only 2.9% of total loans.

Slaveski explained that, following events in Serbia, the executive board of the National Bank decided on November 1 to place Alta Bank AD Bitola under temporary administration in line with its legal powers. "This decision was forced, and in no way is it connected to the current financial condition and operations of the domestic bank. The withdrawal of the licence for Alta Bank - Belgrade by the competent regulator on the night between October 30 and 31, 2026 automatically meant that the owner of our domestic bank could no longer fulfil its obligations. Therefore, the following day we adopted a decision to withdraw the consent of Alta Bank - Belgrade to acquire shares in the Bitola Alta Bank and, of course, the right to vote was removed," Slaveski said.

He recalled that a year ago the Bitola lender operated under the name Stopanska Bank AD Bitola and that its ownership structure was fragmented and specific, at times placing the bank under strict supervisory oversight. Poor corporate governance and effectively absent operational and financial support from the sole qualified shareholder exposed the bank to significant risks, Slaveski said, adding that the only appropriate remedy is entry of a strategic investor, preferably another financial institution, to improve governance and carry out operational restructuring. He noted the National Bank had previously given preliminary consent to a large, stable domestic bank to acquire shares in the then Stopanska Bank AD Bitola.

Slaveski appeared as the second witness at the oversight hearing, after Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski, and was expected to answer questions from MPs Sanja Lukarevska, Eli Panova, Sashko Janchev, Feride Hadziu and Pavle Arsoski.

The committee chair, Sanja Lukarevska, granted a pause until 12:25 at the request of MP Fatmir Bitici. "In the previous witness statement we heard a series of untruths. We have taken out the minutes; I request a 45-minute break to publish the truth," Bitici said.

Photo: press material from the event