Gediminas Šimkus, the chief of the Bank of Lithuania, has confirmed that Pekao, one of Poland’s largest banks, is considering opening a branch in Lithuania.
“In the second half of December, Pekao Bank’s management visited Lithuania, which I think is a very serious signal about their intentions,” Šimkus said in an interview with the 15min news website.
“As the Baltic region, I think we are an attractive area for a new service player to come in. I’m optimistic that we will see a new market player in Lithuania. There are very clear signals that this will happen,” he added. “I’d say that I’m optimistic, and we will see this year.”
Citing four sources, BNS reported in November that Pekao was considering setting up a branch in Lithuania to serve only business clients.
The bank has not made its plans public but has confirmed its intention to cooperate more actively with Lithuanian companies.
The bank would have to obtain the central bank’s permission to establish a branch in Lithuania.
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