TALLINN - Finance Minister Taavi Veskimagi said that the government should be concerned about the Estonian security market's stake if Hansabank is delisted as a result of Swedbank's buyout offer.
"Estonia's interest is to make sure that all investors receive equal treatment. In my position as minister, I stand up first and foremost for Estonia's interests, and I'm concerned about the effect of the takeover offer on the Estonian securities market," Taavi Veskimagi told the Baltic News Service.
Sweden's Swedbank, the majority owner of Hansabank, on Feb. 11 announced its intention to make a buyout offer to other shareholders at 11 euros per share (see story on Page 6.)
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which owns a 4.82 percent stake, has already said it would accept Swedbank's offer.
Provided the buyout offer is legal, there will not be any big problems with regard to revenue inflow into the state budget, the minister said.
Veskimagi added that the termination of Hansabank's listing would force investors to look for alternative investment opportunities, which currently are not easy to find on Estonia's capital market.
