- Deutsche Bank exhibits no intention towards purchasing Commerzbank.
The German government has stated its intention to divest from its ownership of Commerzbank, starting with a reduction in its shareholding as announced by Germany's Financial Agency last Tuesday evening.
There have been numerous speculations about Commerzbank being a potential takeover target for both domestic and international banks, including Deutsche Bank with whom it had previously engaged in merger discussions. These negotiations fell through in 2019.
During the 2008 financial crisis, Commerzbank encountered financial hardships and required a total of 18.2 billion euros in capital injections from the Financial Market Stabilization Fund (FMS) of the German government in 2008 and 2009. As of now, approximately 13.15 billion euros have been repaid, leaving the state with a 16.49% stake in Commerzbank, held through the FMS.
Under the leadership of Christian Sewing, CEO of Deutsche Bank, he publicly dismissed any future plans for Deutsche Bank to takeover Commerzbank, stating at the Handelsblatt's Banking Summit in Frankfurt, "We're focusing on Deutsche Bank", and further adding, "a takeover of Commerzbank by Deutsche Bank is not an issue".
Despite Christian Sewing's clear stance against a Deutsche Bank takeover of Commerzbank, speculations continue about other potential suitors. Christian Sewing, as the CEO of Deutsche Bank, has emphasized the bank's focus on its own operations.
