ST JOHN’S, Antigua (CMC) — The Antigua and Barbuda Government says it remains optimistic that an agreement could be reached regarding the sale of Scotiabank to a consortium of local stakeholders.

Information Minister Melford Nicholas says while the Gaston Browne administration is maintaining its position regarding the sale of the bank, it is still optimistic that an agreement can be reached to benefit both parties.

“…logic has returned to the conversation and I think that there is going to be in the coming weeks a meeting of the minds again and we may well have a median position that everyone can live with,” he said.

 “But clearly, it is just not a question in the government of Antigua and Barbuda’s mind about the continuation of the bank under a different name, but it is about understanding that within the context of that equation there is wealth that is being generated (and) the Government of Antigua and Barbuda has clearly stated its position that it wants to be a part of retention of that wealth within the economy,” Nicholas added.

Last November, the Trinidad-based Republic Financial Holdings Limited (RFHL) announced that it was seeking to acquire Scotiabank operations in several Caribbean countries.

Antigua and Barbuda and Guyana had initially expressed reservations about the proposed acquisition, with St John’s indicating that it would not be issuing a vesting order to facilitate the move.

The RFHL statement said that the banks being acquired are located in Guyana, St Maarten, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.

It said that the purchase price is US$123 million, which represents US$25 million consideration for total shareholding of Scotiabank Anguilla Limited; and a premium of US$98 million over net asset value for operations in the remaining eight countries.

Antigua and Barbuda has said that it wants assurances that local banks will be given priority to purchase Scotiabank’s operations on the island and that local persons’ investments and savings will be protected.

St John’s, which has already indicated that it would not be issuing a vesting order so as to facilitate the sale of the bank here, had requested a meeting with Scotiabank officials to dismiss the matter and a statement issued after the Cabinet meeting last week noted that the “Cabinet was informed that the parties interested in the sale and purchase are still holding discussions”.