Japan's Normura Securities and Investicni a Postovni Banka, the Czech Republic's third biggest bank, are seeking to link with Allianz and Hypo-Vereinsbank of Germany to strengthen their counter-offer for another big Czech bank, reports the Financial Times.
IPB, in which Normura holds a large stake, will also submit an increased offer - believed to be about Kc25bn ($699m) - to the Czech government this week, in an attempt to derail exclusive negotiations with Austria's Erste Bank.