A general view of the Citibank headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia September 15, 2020. -- REUTERS/Lim Huey Teng

MANILA – Unionbank of the Philippines said on Thursday it will acquire the consumer banking business of Citigroup Inc. in the Southeast Asian nation, as part of a bid to boost growth in its retail banking sector.

Unionbank will pay cash for the net assets of the Citi Philippines’ consumer banking business plus a premium of P45.3 billion, or about $908 million, Citigroup said in a separate statement.

The deal includes Citi’s credit card, personal loans, wealth management, and retail deposit businesses, and real estate assets.

As of end-June, Citi’s consumer banking business in the Philippines had total assets of P89.5 billion, including gross loans of P59.7 billion, total liabilities of P71.7 billion that included deposits of P67.8 billion, and a customer base numbering nearly 1 million.

The acquisition, which is expected to close in the second half of 2022, will be funded by a combination of internal resources and a stock rights offering, Unionbank said.

“We look forward to this game-changing opportunity to leapfrog our credit card business and significantly expand our banking business in the higher end segment of the consumer market,” Unionbank President and CEO Edwin Bautista said in a statement. — Reuters

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