ECB mulls review of Chinese stake in Deutsche Bank: source
Chinese conglomerate HNA owns just under 10 per cent of the German lender, which could trigger checks on the company
Europe’s top banking regulator, the European Central Bank, is considering carrying out a review of Deutsche Bank’s two largest shareholders, a regulatory source said on Monday.
The bank may launch so-called ownership-control procedures to scrutinise both Qatar’s royal family and the Chinese conglomerate HNA, which each owns just under 10 per cent of the shares of Germany’s flagship lender.
“That the ECB is investigating or considering to investigate the shareholdings is indeed accurate,” said the person, speaking on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorised to speak publicly about a review that is ongoing.
News of the possible review was first reported by the Sueddeutsche Zeitung on Sunday.
The ECB, Deutsche Bank and HNA have declined to comment.
The aim of such an assessment is to establish whether an investor is trustworthy and financially sound, where the money used for the investment came from and whether the investor engages in any criminal dealings such as money-laundering or financing of terrorism.