HSBC drops bid to buy South Korean bank

Seoul - Britains's HSBC Holdings Plc said Friday it has withdrawn from a deal to buy a 51 per cent stake in Korea Exchange Bank (KEB), due to falling asset values amid the global credit crisis.

"Taking into account all relevant factors including current asset values in world financial markets... HSBC Asia exercised its right to terminate the acquisition agreement with immediate effect," the bank said in a statement.

A year ago HSBC agreed to buy KEB, Korea's fifth largest lender, for 6.3 million dollars from US buyout fund Lone Star Funds, but the deal has been stalled over legal disputes stemming from the Lone Star's 2003 purchase of KEB.

South Korea's watchdog Financial Services Commission (FSC) had not yet given approval for the deal between Lone Star and HSBC. (dpa)

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