APS Holding (APS) has acquired a portfolio of Croatian non-performing loans (NPL) with a nominal value significantly exceeding EUR100 million. The firm’s newly established office in Croatia is expected to have more than 40 employees in the first half of the year.
The acquisition includes secured and unsecured non-performing corporate loans, with the secured positions held against mostly residential, commercial and industrial property. The portfolio has been acquired from Hrvatska Poštanska Banka with the approval of the Croatian National Bank.
Martin Machoň, CEO of APS, says: “Our target is to assist banks with distressed debts and help debtors to be debt free under fair and mutually advantageous conditions. We are going to bring our best professional practice based on more than 500 000 debt recovery cases and 13 years of history on the EU market. We are as well looking for other investment opportunities on the dynamic Croatian market.”
Since the beginning of 2016, APS has expanded its operations into Croatia, Cyprus and Hungary. Cypriot expansion is based on joint venture with Hellenic bank (APS 51 per cent, Hellenic Bank 49 per cent). Newly established company will service distressed debt portfolio of EUR2.4 billion. Transaction was approved by European Central Bank and Central Bank of Cyprus. Hungarian office was established in January 2017 and starts its operations.
Based on the successful transaction, APS establishes permanent office in Zagreb, which will service the NPL portfolio.
Victor Angelescu, CEE Regional Director of APS, says: “We expect to employ about 40 debt collection professionals, analysts and other highly qualified personnel during the first half of 2017. The portfolio from Hrvatska Poštanska Banka is just a start for us and we expect to be successful in other tenders in Q1 2017. Although the first employees are already on board, we are still searching on the market for ambitious and talented people with skills not only in the NPL field.
Viktor Levkanič, Investment Director of APS, says: “We have been actively participating in the NPL transactions in Croatia since the beginning of 2015, when the very first sizeable transaction came to the market. During this time, we have built up our local market knowledge, understanding and relationships. We believe in the market, see a strong potential for further investment opportunities and also trust the long-term performance of the real estate market and the economy overall.”
