The Bank of Ghana (BoG) will, this week, announce the list of banks that have successfully raised their minimum capitals to GHS400 million in compliance with its earlier directive, which elapsed on 31 December 2018.
Ahead of the official announcement, state-owned news website Graphic.com.gh has made the following predictions based on reliable information it has pieced together.
1. We foresee BoG making key decisions on two of the banks, using provisions set out in Sections 103 to 137 of the Banks and Specialised Deposit-Taking Institutions Act 2016 (Act 930).
Both banks are unable to recapitalise, with one having a capital deficit in excess of GHS800 million.
2. We foresee one bank being downgraded to a savings and loans company for being unable to meet the minimum paid-up capital as of the 31 December 2018 deadline
3. We foresee BoG announcing that it has accepted a government-backed arrangement by private investors to raise up to GHS2 billion through bonds to invest in six indigenous banks to enable them to meet the minimum capital.
The first tranche of the bond could be around GHS800 million and will be used to recapitalise well-governed, solvent but under-capitalised banks (find the list below).
The transaction is being executed by a special purpose vehicle, the Ghana Amalgamated Trust (GAT) Limited.
Below is the list of banks and their status as far as the recapitalisation is concerned.
List of successfully recapitalised banks
1. Access Bank Ghana Limited
2. Barclays Bank Ghana Limited
3. CAL Bank Limited
4. Consolidated Bank
5. Ecobank Ghana Limited
6. FBNBank Ghana Limited
7. Fidelity Bank Limited
8. First National Bank Ghana Limited (FNB)
9. Republic Bank Ghana Limited
10. GCB Bank Limited
11. Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana Limited (GTBank)
12. Society Generale Ghana Limited
13. Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited
14. Standard Chartered Bank Ghana
15. United Bank for Africa Ghana Limited (UBA)
16. Zenith Bank Ghana Limited
Not recapitalised but being supported
17. ADB Bank
18. National Investment Bank (NIB)
19. Prudential Bank
20. Universal Merchant Bank Limited (UMB)
21. Heritage Bank Limited
22. OmniBank Limited
Ongoing mergers
23. Energy Commercial Bank Ghana Limited and First Atlantic Bank Limited
24. OmniBank and Sahel Sahara Bank
Ongoing takeovers
First National Bank Ghana Limited (FNB) takes over GHL Bank
Voluntary liquidation
Bank of Baroda (customers absorbed seamlessly by Stanbic Bank Ghana Limited)
Not recapitalised but no credible news yet
25. Bank of Africa Ghana (BoA) Limited
26. GN Bank Limited
27. Premium Bank Limited
Source: graphic.com.gh
