Fredheim: Telenor plans to set up bank

Telenor intends to set up or buy a bank in Serbia, said Telenor Serbia CEO Ove Fredheim. He noted that the company was considering applying for a license to set up a new bank, buy one of the existing banks in Serbia or provide services through a partnership.

- All three options are under consideration. Final decision has not been made yet - said Fredheim.

As he pointed out, Telenor representatives are talking with the National Bank of Serbia about what people at the central bank think about these ambitions and whether Telenor meets requirements to acquire a stake in a bank in Serbia.

- Telenor has not yet officially started the procedure for getting a license to set up a bank in Serbia - Fredheim added.

The CEO of Telenor Serbia also said that there was no deadline for implementing the plan to set up or buy a bank in Serbia.

- Our will is strong and we are determined to pursue this strategy - Fredheim stressed and specified that the bank would operate as a separate juristic person with a separate system of management.

When asked by journalists if they were considering the aquisition of Croatia's mobile operator Tele2, he said that that question should be directed to Telenor's headquarters in Norway.