Živković Samardžić Advises on the Sale of Eurobank Direktna to AIK Banka
Serbian banking market continues with consolidation and Živković Samardžić is again on the spot. Živković Samardžić, one of Serbia’s leading full-service independent law firms, has advised the shareholders of Eurobank Direktna a.d. Beograd (“Eurobank Direktna”) on the sale of the entire stake of 100% in Eurobank Direktna to AIK Banka a.d. Beograd(“AIK Banka”). Eurobank Direktna is headquartered in Belgrade and operates through 4 primary segments: Retail Banking, Corporate Banking, Small Business Banking & Digital Banking, and holds a market share of 6% in terms of total assets. It currently employs c. 1,600 employees, operates 98 branches and has a balance sheet size of €2.4bn. Eurobank Direktna is majority owned by Eurobank Holdings (70%) and former Direktna Banka shareholders (30%).
Eurobank Direktna has developed its banking business since entering the market in 2003 as Eurobank EFG Serbia. Following the merger with Direktna Banka, it has become number 8 in the market with market share of 5.5% in assets, loan portfolio of 1.7 billion euro and 1.5 billion euro deposits (as of September 2022). Through a wide network of branches and online platform, Eurobank Direktna provides a high-quality service to its clients.
Thanks to the complementarity of the activities of the two banks, the combined bank would have attained an over 13% market share in total assets, with over 4 billion euro deposits and strong capital base of more than 800 million euros (as of September 2022).
Completion of the transaction is subject to customary approvals by the competent regulatory and supervisory authorities and is expected to take place during the third quarter of 2023.
Živković Samardžić team that acted as local legal counsel to the shareholders of Eurobank Direktna on all aspects of this process consisted of Partners Branislav Živković, Igor Živkovski, Sava Pavlović and Uroš Đorđević.
Živković Samardžić Advises Serbian Bookers on Legal Aspects of its Evolving into a Global Brand OTA Sync
Živković Samardžić has advised Serbian Bookers, a Belgrade-based startup developing the first cloud software for hotels and private accommodation in Serbia, on legal aspects of its evolving into a global brand OTA Sync. The aim of this restructuring is to expand the opportunity for global expansion and access to investment opportunities.
Serbian Bookers is software company offering complete web & mobile solutions for hotels and private accommodation. With this evolving into a global brand OTA Sync (Online Travel Agencies Synchronization) it will continue to expand and develop globally, while its team will remain local. Currently, the system is used by users from 14 countries, and the team continues to work on new functions, modernization of the system and the success of its clients. The introduction of new functions will further facilitate the business of users and will help them to analyze their strategy in more detail and improve communication with guests.
OTA Sync is a full cloud-based hotel & property management system with integrated channel manager and booking engine system, ideal for any type of rentals. Its goal is to offer only the best quality software solution on the market. OTA Sync has already recorded great success in the tourism market, and in the coming period it is expected that the customer base of this service will be increased.
Živković Samardžić acted as legal adviser to Serbian Bookers on all aspects of the deal, including structuring the transaction, drafting of transactional documentation, as well as assisting with the implementation of the transaction. The Živković Samardžić team that has advised Serbian Bookers on this deal was led by Partner Igor Živkovski.
Živković Samardžić Advises Trigal on Its First Investment in Serbia
Živković Samardžić has advised Trigal on its investment in 5 urban lighting regeneration public-private partnership projects in Serbia. Projects are led by Resalta, the provider of energy services in the region, and include installation of new LED lights in 5 municipalities, which will bring significant savings. Lifetime of the projects is 13 years remaining.
This ESCO projects portfolio is the latest one in Trigal’s infrastructure portfolio and comes after implementation of this kind of projects in North Macedonia and Croatia. The term ESCO stands for energy service company and the model allows those companies to carry out energy services without the clients having to invest their own capital in the projects.
Trigal is a joint venture founded by KGAL Gmbh & CO. KG and Zavarovalnica Triglav d.d., combines investment, operational and asset management expertise providing tailored made solutions to a diverse client base; insurance companies, pension funds, family offices.
KGAL and Triglav insurance combine over EUR 23.2 billion of assets under management and joined forces to create Trigal, with a goal to become the leading real asset investment management platform for the Adriatic region.
Živković Samardžić acted as legal adviser to Trigal on all aspects of the deal, including the legal due diligence exercise, structuring the transaction, drafting and negotiating of transactional documentation, assisting with the preparation and execution of the closing process and all-encompassing legal advisory regarding post-closing activities.
The Živković Samardžić team that has advised Trigal on this deal was led by Partners Igor Živkovski and Sava Pavlović.