Dutch Demir-Halk Bank ( DHB Bank) has signed a Share Purchase Agreement with the majority shareholders of the Izvozno-Kreditna Banka Skopje ( IK Banka) on the 16th of May. After acquiring a licence from the Macedonian and the Dutch regulatory bodies, DHB Bank will become a dominating share holder of the IK Bank, while the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) will remain IK's significant investor by holding 25% of the shares.

DHB Bank is a relatively young bank; it was established in 1992 in Rotterdam. It has its branch offices in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and a representative office in Turkey. Since its modest beginnings sixteen years ago, DHB Bank has come a long way. The bank's assets are at about Euro two billion. From the outset, trade finance has been the bank's major business focus, together with a selected range of retail banking products and services. As an important step forward, DHB Bank introduced Internet Banking service to its customers in May 2001.