February 1 (SeeNews) - Kosovo’s central bank said that Serbia-based Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd has voluntarily concluded the banking activities of its branch in the city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo as of January 31, following the approval of a voluntary liquidation plan in October.
The closure affects the eight offices of Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd operating in the area of Mitrovica, the central bank of Kosovo said in a press release on Wednesday.
Mitrovica is divided by the Ibar River, with the northern part predominantly inhabited by ethnic Serbs, and the southern part by ethnic Albanians.
Local Serbian-language media have reported that employees of public institutions in Serbian-populated areas in Kosovo, who receive salaries from the budget of the Republic of Serbia, have moved to another Serbia-based bank operating in the area, Postal Savings Bank. They had been notified about their bank’s closure in Kosovo by the end of last year.
A SeeNews email to Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd seeking comment on the reasons for the closure of Komercijalna's branch in Mitrovica went unanswered by the time this article was published.
Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd started operating in Mitrovica back in 2007, according to the country’s business register.
Komercijalna Banka AD Beograd is part of Slovenian banking group NLB. In Kosovo, the group operates through its local subsidiary NLB Banka.