Portugal 
Italy 
Greece 
1 June 2018 – Eje Prime
The bad bank is gradually outlining what its property development venture in Spain is going to look like. Aelca and Aedas Homes are the final candidates in the bid to take over the land portfolio that the bad bank has put on the market in exchange for entering the share capital of one of the house builders. By contrast, Vía Célere has abandoned the competition, leaving the path clear for the other two operators.
According to sources familiar with the process, Vía Célere has decided not to submit a final proposal to Sareb. The property developer, controlled by Värde Partners (51%), together with other funds, decided against going forward to exploit the bad bank’s €1.2 billion portfolio.
The bet by the entity chaired by Jaime Echegoyen is also happening because its property developer partner is listed on the stock market, such as in the case of Aedas, or has the intention of doing so, such as Aelca. That means that the financial institution will be able to divest its shares easily in the future and make a gain. That point is likely to have been one of the reasons that led Vía Célere to back out of the deal, given that it has put the brakes on its stock market debut following the postponements announced by Testa and Azora.
Original story: Eje Prime
Translation: Carmel Drake