Archbishop Scicluna Declares Full Confidence In APS Amidst HSBC Takeover Reports
Archbishop Charles Scicluna has declared he has full confidence in the board and management of APS Bank, which is involved in negotiations to purchase HSBC Malta.
However, the Archbishop refused to comment on the ongoing negotiations, stating he isn’t involved int he operations of APS.
APS, which actually stands for Apostolato della Preghiera, was originally fully owned by the Archdiocese of Malta and the Diocese of Gozo. In 2022, it went public and the Archdiocese’s shareholding was diluted to 55.1%, with the Gozo Diocese owning 12.7%.
Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma refused to comment on the negotiations either when contacted by MaltaToday.
Although reports have indicated that negotiations are at an advanced stage, HSBC issued a company announcement to clarify that “no decisions have yet been made”.
“Having made further enquiries, HSBC Malta has been informed by the majority shareholder that the review process is at an early stage, will consider a range of options and no decisions have yet been made,” the bank said last week.