*Updated at 11.12am with second statement by HSBC Malta reproduced below

HSBC Bank Malta is calling an Extraordinary General Meeting to obtain its shareholders’ permission to share sensitive price-sensitive information with a prospective buyer or buyers.

In a company update posted to the Malta Stock Exchange on Thursday (today) morning, the company said that its parent company “has been contacted by a number of parties who have expressed interest in its shareholding” in HSBC Bank Malta.

The announcement follows previous news that HSBC Holdings is conducting a strategic review of its Maltese holding operations. HSBC Holdings has an indirect 70.03 per cent stake in HSBC Bank Malta, through HSBC Continental Europe.

WhosWho.mt had broken the news that APS Bank is in negotiations to acquire HSBC Bank Malta from its foreign shareholder.

It is understood that the “interested parties” mentioned in Thursday’s announcement refer to parties other than APS Bank. It is understood that these prospective buyers approached HSBC while contacts between HSBC and APS were ongoing.

The identity of the new interested parties has not been disclosed, and it is not immediately clear whether another bank is among them. 

HSBC Continental Europe has therefore requested HSBC Bank Malta to seek authorisation from its shareholders to furnish and disclose information, including unpublished price-sensitive information, that would allow a prospective bona fide offeror or offerors to make, withdraw or modify any offer.

Such authorisation will require an Extraordinary General Meeting, the date and details of which will be announced in due course.

HSBC concluded its statement by saying that “the majority shareholder has reiterated that no decisions have been made regarding its shareholding in the bank and that HSBC Holdings continues to consider a full range of options.”

Further to HSBC Malta's initial announcement on Thursday, the bank issued a second statement saying: 

"Further to today’s Company Announcement we remind our customers, Bank employees and other stakeholders, that the Bank will continue to comply with its banking confidentiality and data privacy obligations at all times. These are continuing obligations for the Bank and will remain applicable even during any due diligence process that is undertaken."