Citigroup has reached agreement with Singapore’s United Overseas Bank on the acquisition of its consumer banking franchises in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.
The transaction includes retail banking and credit card businesses but excludes the bank’s institutional businesses in all four countries.
The purchase price includes net asset value of about S$4B of the businesses being sold and a premium of S$915M ($690M) paid by UOB.
Approx. 5,000 Citi consumer banking staff and supporting employees in the four markets are expected to transfer to UOB.
Upon closing, the bank expects the transaction to result in the release of ~$1.2B of allocated tangible common equity, as well as an increase to tangible common equity of over $200M.
“The sale of these four consumer markets, along with our previously announced transactions, demonstrate our sense of urgency to execute our strategic refresh," said Mark Mason, Citi CFO.
The deal to be completed between mid-2022 and early 2024, depending on the progress and outcome of regulatory approvals.
Last year, Citi said it was exiting retail banking in 13 countries outside U.S. to focus more on wealth management.