Ralph Orlowski/REUTERS
- Deutsche Bank is reportedly planning on raising up to €10 billion ($11.2 billion) in fresh equity as part of its bid for Commerzbank, according to the Financial Times.
- The plan is designed to end speculation about the bank’s capital levels, with figures of between €3 billion and €10 billion being discussed.
- Merger plans between Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have been repeatedly scrutinized as part of a plan to create a "German champion" in financial services.
The merger plans between German lenders Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank could see the former to raise as much as €10 billion in fresh equity to help fund the deal.
In a bid to end discussions about whether Deutsche Bank has sufficient capital to pull off the potential merger the bank is looking to bring in between €3 billion and €10 billion, according to the Financial Times, citing people familiar with the matter.
The capital raising is designed to prevent the bank having to return to markets following the deal, if successful. Deutsche’s current market capitalization sits at around €17 billion, meaning the raise would be a huge undertaking for the German lender.
German finance minister Olaf Scholz indicated that the Bundestag was not pressuring for the tie-up and that a deal is up to the banks:
"They are in the driving seat, not the government," he said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) on Wednesday.
Concerns have been raised about the merger by employee unions and finance officials in Germany. Deutsche has raised €30 billion since 2010, according to the Financial Times, who indicated that shareholders would not be happy if the full €10 billion was raised, citing people with knowledge of the talks.
Deutsche Bank officials are also said to be wary of the credit quality of Commerzbank’s loan book as talks progress, according to Bloomberg reporting.
Germany’s largest lender’s stock price has tumbled dramatically in recent months after a series of scandals, including its offices being raided, and alleged involvement in the Danske Bank money laundering debacle, and further details of its deals with Donald Trump.
Deutsche Bank didn’t immediately respond to request for comment.
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Source: Business Insider – cburroughs@businessinsider.com (Callum Burroughs)