Bank of Uganda yesterday quashed rumours circulating on social media purporting that Crane Bank was on the verge of closure. Releasing a press statement to assure the public the Uganda’s biggest indigenous bank was solid and in no state to wind up. BOU also reassured the Ugandan public that Crane Bank had no financial issues to warrant panic or even closure. The Central Bank Statement issued by the Director of communications Christine Alupo below outlined their regulatory position
Central Bank statement
Bank of Uganda (BOU) has received several enquiries from the public on Crane Bank following reports that they are seeking strategic investors. The shareholders of commercial banks have the option of selling shares to new investors as they deem appropriate.
However, any new investor in a commercial bank must satisfy the regulator that they are fit and proper. The BOU does not comment on any negotiations to sell shares in a bank while these negotiations are ongoing.
Nonetheless, the BOU monitors closely all commercial banks in Uganda and any actions which it takes are motivated primarily by the objective of protecting the best interests of banks’ depositors
Facts about Crane Bank’s financials as of last year
Crane Bank 2015- Key Performance Indicators.
• At an asset base of Shs1.79 trillion (December 2015), Crane Bank is the 4th biggest bank, controlling 4% market share
• Although the bank made a loss of Shs3.1 billion, the bank performed well on all other other fundamentals.
• It was also the No.4 biggest lender with Shs971.4 billion in loans and controlling 9.24% of the credit market.
• The Bank grew its deposits by 5.45 per cent to UGX 1,336,606 million acquiring approximately 61,000 new accounts. The Bank as of December 2015 audited accounts, was the No.5 biggest in customer deposits, controlling 8.5% market share.
• Robust income performance. Net Operating income, grew by 4.3 per cent reflecting strong revenue growth. Interest income grew by 9.4 per cent driven by increase in Loans and Advances.
• Robust capital ratios. Capital adequacy stands at 16.41 per cent and Core capital ratio stands at 15.74 per cent. Crane Banks paid up capital stands at UGX 210 billion as against the BOU requirements of UGX 25 billion