Bank Privatisation Stirs Up Heated Debate

Ljubljana, 9 November - While the privatisation of two largest Slovene banks, NLB and NKBM, is nearly half way completed, an increasingly heated debate has sparked off in Slovenia, with the apple of contention being the idea that in selling banks the state should take into account the national interests to a greater extent. Moreover, with some financial experts wondering how it is possible that there is only one domestic financial institution is among the bidders, the bank privatisation has become viewed as the sale of banks to foreigners.