Kedudukan Nazir Tun Razak Dalam CIMB Tergugat?

Samada melalui sumber dalaman mahu pun kenyataan akhbar, CEO CIMB Bank Dato' Nazir Tun Razak beberapa kali menafikan minat CIMB untuk mengambialih bank tempatan. Sebaliknya, Nazir menyatakan minat untuk meletakkan CIMB antara yang terkuat di rantau Asia Tenggara.

Namun, khabar dari seberang membuat spekulasi tentang pengambilalihan RHB Capital keatas CIMB.

Singapore Straits Times reported yesterday, citing unnamed government and banking sources, that work was still in progress on the deal that would create Southeast Asia's biggest banking entity by market value.

It was said that RHBCap would likely make an all-cash offer for CIMB.

Meskipun ada suara-suara mengatakan tidak mungkin bank kecil mengambilalih bank yang lebih besar, perlu diingat sejarah CIMB sendiri yang bermula dengan Bank Of Commerce (BOC) telah mengambilalih United Asian Bank Bhd (UAB). Bermula dari situ, BOC mengorak langkah mengambilalih Bank Bumiputera dan seterusnya membentuk entiti BCB. Akhirnya BCB bertukar nama kepada CIMB dengan penyerapan Southern Bank kedalam entiti yang baru tersebut.

Begitu juga RHB yang terhasil dari Sime Bank dan D&C Bank, pernah dikuasai oleh Bank Utama yang saiznya lebih kecil.

Kini, terletak kepada Khazanah Holdings yang memegang 29% kepentingan dalam CIMB samada menerima atau menolak RM20 bilion keuntungan jika urusniaga dimuktamatkan.

KUALA LUMPUR: If the price is right, Khazanah Holdings Bhd may just say "yes" to RHB Capital Bhd's (RHBCap) offer for the former's stake in CIMB Bank, banking analysts said yesterday.

However, some were quick to ask whether such offer is really in the works, while a few others wondered if a merger between the two banks is being strongly recommended by "the powers that be".

Asked if Khazanah is willing to sell off its stake in CIMB, its senior vice-president for communications Mohd Asuki Abas, when contacted yesterday, could only say: "We do not comment on speculations".

By that, he was referring to an online article yesterday stating that RHBCap's cash bid for the 29 per cent stake may just make Khazanah RM20 billion richer, if the deal takes place. [Business Times]