The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), this morning, said it is yet to receive official communication in respect of Access Bank plc acquisition of Diamond Bank plc.
An official of the corporate communications department told BusinessDay that “no official communication yet” from any of the concerned banks.
There have been other reports online that officials of both banks were on their way to the CBN head office to file a notice of their merger plans and seek approval. The CBN, by law, must approve any merger plan before it can go ahead.
BusinessDay had earlier reported plans by Access Bank to acquire Diamond Bank but Diamond Bank has issued a statement denying the linkage.
Isaac Okorafor, director, corporate communications department, CBN, told BusinessDay on Sunday night that “We are aware that there have been meetings but we are yet to receive any formal communication from the parties in that respect”.
Diamond Bank recently received the approval of the CBN following its application to operate as a National Bank.
The move follows Diamond’s decision to sell its international operations, which included the disposal of its West African Subsidiary in 2017 and Diamond Bank UK, the sale of which is currently in its final stages.
