Stock and press releases

During week 25 2018, DNB ASA has purchased 553 000 own shares at an average price of NOK 156.83 per share. After this, DNB ASA owns a total of 3 100 000 own shares, in addition to the shares that will be deleted upon completion of the capital reduction resolved in connection with the share buy-back carried out prior to the annual general meeting in 2018.

The repurchase of shares is part of the share buy-back programme announced by DNB ASA on 6 June 2018. The buy-back programme comprises up to approximately 24.1 million shares, of which up to approximately 15.9 million shares may be repurchased in the open market. The rest will be redeemed from the state of Norway on a proportionate basis, subject to approval from DNB ASA's annual general meeting in 2019, so that its current ownership interest of 34.00% will remain unaffected following completion of the buy-back programme.

For further information about the share buy-back programme, DNB ASA refers to the Oslo Stock Exchange notification made on 6 June 2018 (available from www.newsweb.no).

On 20 June 2018, SpareBank 1 Gruppen AS and DNB ASA signed a letter of intent to merge their non-life insurance operations and will thus establish one of Norway’s largest insurance companies.

The companies to be merged are DNB Forsikring AS and Sparebank 1 Skadeforsikring AS, which both have a licence to engage in non-life insurance operations.

According to the letter of intent, the exchange ratio will be approximately 80 per cent for SpareBank 1 Gruppen and approximately 20 per cent for DNB. DNB will increase its holding in the new company, whereby SpareBank 1 Gruppen will have a holding of 60 per cent and DNB a holding of 40 per cent on the merger date. DNB will thus increase its exposure in a capital-light and profitable business area.

At the time of the merger, the new company will have a market share within non-life insurance of more than 15 per cent and will thus be Norway’s third largest non-life insurance company and the largest non-life insurance company distributing its products through banks. The merger will strengthen DNB’s focus on and exposure to an attractive product segment. The size, product range and innovative power of the new company will enable DNB to deliver even better insurance products to both private individuals and corporate customers.

The tentative merger date is 1 January 2019, subject to the approval of the authorities.

During week 24 2018, DNB ASA has purchased 1 578 000 own shares at an average price of NOK 157.60 per share. After this, DNB ASA owns a total of 2 574 000 own shares,in addition to the shares that will be deleted upon completion of the capital reduction resolved in connection with the share buy-back carried out prior to the annual general meeting in 2018.

The repurchase of shares is part of the share buy-back programme announced by DNB ASA on 6 June 2018. The buy-back programme comprises up to approximately 24.1 million shares, of which up to approximately 15.9 million shares may be repurchased in the open market. The rest will be redeemed from the state of Norway on a proportionate basis, subject to approval from DNB ASA's annual general meeting in 2019, so that its current ownership interest of 34.00% will remain unaffected following completion of the buy-back programme.

For further information about the share buy-back programme, DNB ASA refers to the Oslo Stock Exchange notification made on 6 June 2018 (available from www.newsweb.

During week 23 2018, DNB ASA has purchased 969 000 own shares at an average price of NOK 152.44 per share. After this, DNB ASA owns a total of 969 000 own shares,in addition to the shares that will be deleted upon completion of the capital reduction resolved in connection with the share buy-back carried out prior to the annual general meeting in 2018. 

The repurchase of shares is part of the share buy-back programme announced by DNB ASA on 6 June 2018. The buy-back programme comprises up to approximately 24.1 million shares, of which up to approximately 15.9 million shares may be repurchased in the open market. The rest will be redeemed from the state of Norway on a proportionate basis, subject to approval from DNB ASA's annual general meeting in 2019, so that its current ownership interest of 34.00% will remain unaffected following completion of the buy-back programme.

For further information about the share buy-back programme, DNB ASA refers to the Oslo Stock Exchange notification made on 6 June 2018 (available from www.newsweb.no).

Group executive vice president Trond Bentestuen has been appointed CEO of the REMA 1000 supermarket chain and will thus leave DNB. He is currently head of Wealth Management & Insurance, and has previously been at the helm of Personal Banking and Marketing, Communications and eBusiness.

Håkon Hansen will become acting head of Wealth Management & Insurance, effective as of Monday 11 June 2018. Hansen is currently head of DNB Private Banking.

In order to enable an optimal level of capital in the company, DNB ASA has decided to initiate a new share buy-back programme. The buy-back programme comprises up to 1.5% of DNB ASA’s shares calculated after completion of the capital reduction resolved in connection with the share buy-back carried prior to the annual general meeting in 2018, which represents a total of approximately 24.1 million shares.

The share buy-back programme will be carried out on the basis of an authorization given by DNB ASA’s annual general meeting on 24 April 2018 and an approval given by the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway on 4 June 2018. The general meeting authorized DNB ASA to repurchase up to 3.5% of its registered shares, calculated on the basis of the company’s share capital after completion of the resolved capital reduction. DNB ASA may at a later stage, based on the authorization from the general meeting and the approval from the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway, decide to initiate further share buy-back programmes of up to 0.5% of its registered shares. Additional buy-back programmes, up to the maximum limit of 3.5%, may be carried out subject to the approval of the Financial Supervisory Authority of Norway.. 

Up to approximately 15.9 million of the shares comprised by the share buy-back programme may be repurchased in the open market. In addition, a proportionate amount of up to approximately 8.2 million of the shares owned by the state of Norway through the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries will be redeemed, in accordance with an agreement between DNB ASA and the state of Norway. The redemption of the shares owned by the state of Norway is subject to approval from DNB ASA’s annual general meeting in 2019. According to the agreement, the state of Norway shall redeem shares on a proportionate basis so that its current ownership interest in DNB ASA of 34.00% remains unaffected following completion of the buy-back programme.  

DNB ASA will seek approval from the annual general meeting in 2019 for cancellation of the repurchased shares and a corresponding redemption of the proportionate number of shares owned by the state of Norway. The redemption of the shares owned by the state of Norway shall be made against a payment which shall correspond to an average volume weighted price of DNB ASA’s repurchase of shares in the open market as a part of the buy-back programme, including an interest compensation and an agreed adjustment for dividend paid on the redemption shares in the buy-back period (if any).

For further information, DNB ASA refers to the minutes from DNB ASA’s annual general meeting of 24 April 2018, available at www.dnb.no.