The Central bank on Friday revoked the license of Skye bank. A bridge bank called Polaris will now takeover, Per Second News gathered.
More than two years after the Central Bank of Nigeria has been the lifeline for Skye Bank, the regulatory body on Friday withdrew the operating license of money deposit bank.
Polaris effectively takes over and assumes ownership of assets and liabilities of the defunct Skye.
Godwin Emefile, the CBN governor told journalists about this new development in Nigeria’s financial sector in Lagos, said Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation is making N786bn available to the new bank, assuring depositors that their funds remain safe.
Subsequently, a bridge bank known as Polaris takes over and assumes ownership of assets and liabilities of the defunct Skye effective Monday, September 24, 2018.
“The strategy is for the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON) to capitalize the Bridge Bank and begin the process of sourcing investors to buy out AMCON. By this decision, the licence of the defunct Skye Bank is hereby revoked,” Emefiele said.
It will be recalled that the central bank on July 4, 2016, took a regulatory action Skye Bank after it failed to meet minimum thresholds in critical prudential and adequacy ratios, having suffered a massive liquidity hemorrhage, landing the bank at a permanent spot at the CBN Lending Window.
The CBN had kept Skype bank liquid since July 2016.
The origins of Skye Bank date back to 1989 when Prudent Bank Plc., was incorporated as a limited liability company. In 1990, the bank was issued a license as merchant bank. That same year, it rebranded as Prudent Merchant Bank Limited. In 2006, Prudent Merchant Bank Limited merged with four other banks to form Skye Bank Plc.
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