Kasikornbank, Thailand’s second-biggest lender, is in talks to buy Home Credit Vietnam, a consumer finance provider, in a deal worth up to $1 billion, Reuters reported.
The deal would further its push to expand in Vietnam, where it hopes to become one of the top 20 banks by 2027.
Home Credit Vietnam is a subsidiary of Home Credit Group, a global consumer finance company based in the Netherlands. It offers loans for motorcycles, home appliances, electronics and cash loans. It has over 11 million customers and 18,000 employees in Vietnam.
The potential acquisition would mark KBank’s second major investment in Vietnam this year, after it bought a 15% stake in Vietnam Maritime Commercial Joint Stock Bank for $240 million in January. KBank has total assets worth $119.7 billion, second only to Bangkok Bank in Thailand.
The deal would also underscore a trend of consolidation in Asia’s finance sector, as Vietnamese banks face challenges from a slowing economy and rising bad loans. KBank’s M&A transaction would be the second largest in Vietnam’s financial industry this year, after the sale of a $1.5 billion stake in Vietnam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank to Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui in March.
KBank confirmed it was exploring a deal with Home Credit in a stock exchange filing on Wednesday. It said it continuously seeks various business opportunities in Vietnam which may or may not result in a transaction, adding that it will disclose information if any transaction does occur.
Shares of KBank rose as much as 2.3% early on Wednesday, later shedding some gains and up 0.8% at noon, while the Thai benchmark stock index was trading 0.27% higher.