MICROCAPITAL BRIEF: Telenor Pakistan Acquires Additional 49% Equity Stake in Tameer Microfinance Bank, Bringing Its Ownership to 100%

Telenor Pakistan, a subsidiary of Norway-based telecom provider Telenor Group, recently bought additional shares of the Tameer Microfinance Bank, a Pakistan-based provider of microfinance services, increasing its stake from 51 percent to 100 percent. It bought 29.4 percent, 4.9 percent, 7.3 percent, 3.6 percent and 3.6 percent from Nadeem Hussain, the bank’s CEO; the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation; Pakistan-based Centurion; Nizar Noor Muhammed; and Noor Muhammad Mewawalla, respectively.

In concert with the transaction, the Easypaisa branchless banking system, which Tameer and Telenor Pakistan launched in 2009, will become a unit of Tameer. Easypaisa has 15 million customers served via 70,000 vendors in 800 cities in Pakistan.

As of 2014, Tameer reported to the US-based nonprofit Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) total assets of USD 162.9 million, return on assets (ROA) of 1.76 percent and return on equity (ROE) of 8.56 percent. As of the same date, Tameer had a gross loan portfolio of USD 89.3 million, 226,870 active borrowers, deposits totaling USD 121.9 million and 3.5 million depositors. As of December 2014, Telenor Group reported total assets of NOK 198 billion (USD 23 billion).

By Kevin van den Brink, Research Associate

About the Telenor Group

Founded in 1855, Telenor Group is a telecommunications company based in Norway. As of 2015, it provides mobile services to 148 million subscribers in 13 countries in Europe and Asia. As of December 2014, Telenor Group reported total assets of NOK 198 billion (USD 23 billion).

About Tameer Microfinance Bank

Tameer Microfinance Bank Limited (TMFB) is a licensed commercial bank in Pakistan that provides services such as small business, housing, group and emergency loans; microinsurance; savings; and money transfers. It was founded in 2005 and is based in the city of Karachi. As of March 2016, Telenor Pakistan, a subsidiary of the Norwegian mobile communications company Telenor Group, owns 100 percent of TMFB. As of 2014, TMFB reported to the US-based nonprofit Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX) total assets of USD 162.9 million, return on assets (ROA) of 1.76 percent and return on equity (ROE) of 8.56 percent. As of the same date, TMFB had a gross loan portfolio of USD 89.3 million, 226,870 active borrowers, deposits totaling USD 121.9 million and 3.5 million depositors.

Sources and Additional Resources

[1] Tribune, News, “Telenor Buys Tameer Bank

MicroCapital Universe Profile: Telenor Group

MicroCapital Universe Profile: Tameer Microfinance Bank

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