Slovenian banking group Nova Ljubljanska banka (NLB) announced on October 8 that it is considering a dual listing  the Ljubljana Stock Exchange (LJSE) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

NLB is the largest banking and financial group in the country with a market share of 23.2%. by total assets and the largest client base. The Slovenian government is required to privatise the bank by the end of this year under its commitments to the European Commission. 

The company potentially intends to apply to the LJSE for admission of the shares to trading on the Prime Market sub-segment of the LJSE, to the UK’s Financial Conduct Authority for the GDRs to be admitted to listing on the Official List and to the LSE for admission to trading of the GDRs on the LSE's main market for listed securities, NLB said in a statement filed with the Zagreb Stock Exchange. The bank announced the publication of a registration document related to its potential intention to float. 

“Being a public company will further strengthen our financial and strategic capability to consistently deliver our strategy in the future. We look forward to the opportunities and benefits of being a listed company, welcome our new shareholders and thank them in advance for their trust in NLB Group and our team,” Blaz Brodnjak, president of the management Board of NLB, said.

In August, the European Commission (EC) approved Slovenia’s commitment to sell a first tranche of at least 50% plus one share by the end of 2018.

Previously, Slovenia had committed to sell 75% of the bank in a restructuring plan that served as a basis for the European Commission's approval of state aid to the bank in the 2013 bailout by 2017, but scrapped a planned IPO in June 2016 amid a dispute over the pricing of the offer and an ongoing lawsuit over Yugoslav-era deposits in Croatia.

The NLB Group had a network of 349 branches at the end of June, out of which 108 branches operated in Slovenia and 241 in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia.

The NLB Group recorded a net profit attributable to shareholders equal to €104.8mn in the first six months of the year.