EBRD Invests Up to €64 Million in AikGroup for 5% Stake to Fund Adriatic Expansion

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is investing up to €64 million in AikGroup through newly issued shares representing a 5% stake in the south-eastern European banking group. The EBRD said the investment supports AikGroup's expansion across the Adriatic region through acquisitions and organic growth.

EBRD's Stake and AikGroup's Adriatic Strategy

AikGroup is headquartered in Cyprus and supervised by the European Central Bank. The group owns banking subsidiaries in Serbia (Aik Banka), Slovenia (Gorenjska Banka) and Montenegro (Hipotekarna Banka). It manages total assets of more than €10 billion and aims to increase them to €20 billion in the next three to five years.

The EBRD will appoint a nominee director to AikGroup's board. AikGroup plans to roll out new digital solutions across its subsidiaries, including enhancements to mobile banking applications and online lending platforms that enable automated loan approvals. The group will also receive technical cooperation support aimed at strengthening cybersecurity and data governance in line with the EU Digital Operational Resilience Act.

Francis Malige, the EBRD's Managing Director for Financial Institutions, said: "Strong, transparent regional banking groups play an important role in advancing good governance in their respective banking sectors, as well as supporting private-sector growth and economic integration."

Razvan Munteanu, AikGroup CEO, said: "We are thrilled to be joined by EBRD as our new shareholder." AikGroup has committed to developing and implementing a climate transition plan aligned with the goals of the Paris Agreement.

AikGroup's Funding and Balance-Sheet Figures

According to akta.pro company records, AikGroup has one funding round on record: a 2026-10 private equity round of $72 million led by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The same records list total assets across the group at EUR 10 billion+, a net loans portfolio of EUR 6.1 billion and customer deposits of EUR 7.4 billion.

S&P Rating and Earlier AikGroup Moves

S&P Global Ratings assigned AikGroup a 'BB-/B' long- and short-term issuer credit rating, SeeNews reported. The Cyprus-based bank had consolidated assets of 10.3 billion euros as of June 2026, with Serbia accounting for 55-60% of assets.

Company records show AikGroup acquired Podravska banka in May 2026, expanding its banking footprint in Slovenia beyond Gorenjska Banka. In 2025 the group repositioned its identity from Agri Europe Cyprus to AikGroup, consolidating its multi-country banking, leasing and brokerage subsidiaries under a unified regional financial brand.