The deal – initially announced by OTP in the spring of 2021 – still requires clearance by Slovenia's competition authority, which could come in days, Slovenian news agency STA said.

The transaction price has not been disclosed, but industry insiders put it around EUR 1 billion.

Nova KBM is owned by Apollo Global Management (80%) and the EBRD (20%).

OTP already owns a lender in Slovenia: SKB Banka.