Stock brokerage in sale talks with foreign firms
View(s):A large stock broking company which was on the market during the past six months for a part or full divestment by the owner is now in discussion with two big foreign parties to fork out a deal after the shareholder’s initial efforts to sell collapsed, according to stock market sources.
They added that the owner, a high networth (HNWI) party, is in talks with BNP Paribas (which is a French bank and financial services company with headquarters in Paris) and Fairfax Financial Holdings (which owns a stake in NTB and is negotiating a stake in Union Assurance). “Fairfax seems to be the frontrunners in the negotiations,” a source said. Two large local conglomerates were also interested in this firm but these discussions fell through a few months ago.
This particular firm was set up four years ago as a joint venture between the HNWI and a foreign party, with the latter exiting the Lankan operations by divesting its entire holding to the HNWI recently.