Toma Imirhe, a Financial analyst, has cast doubt on the ability of GN Savings and Loans Company Limited formerly known as GN Bank to succeed despite the restoration of its operating licence.
According to the Financial Analyst, GN Savings and Loans Company Limited’s bigger challenge lies in rebuilding the institution from the ground up and regaining the trust of the public.
Toma Imirhe cited Unicredit and other financial institutions that have gone through similar situations with their licences reinstated, but often struggle.
The Financial Analyst quizzed whether the GN Savings and Loans Company Limited would be able to attract depositors after the experiences many customers faced during the clean-up exercise in 2019.
Speaking on Eyewitness News on Thursday, May 21, the financial analyst stated, “They have got their licence back, but you remember Unicredit also got their licence back some years back and what came of it? You see, getting your license back is one thing; being able to resume business is another thing entirely. First of all, you have to now get sufficient share capital. You need to regain the confidence of depositors. You have to get your staff back.
“These are all very high hurdles that GN Savings and Loans will have to overcome. So, I already have my doubts. Would you go and put your deposits with GN Savings and Loans right now after all that happened since 2019?”
His comments follow, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) have been ordered by the Court of Appeal to restore the licence of GN Bank.
The appeal court ruling follows an earlier High Court ruling that upheld the revocation of the financial institution’s operating licence.
The Court of Appeal three-member panel directed that all assets of the bank be returned to its original owners.
The receiver has also been ordered to hand over management of the company to its previous management team.
The Court of Appeal ruling marks a major development in the long-running legal battle between GN Bank and the Bank of Ghana.
GN Bank, which officially commenced operations in 1997 as First National Savings and Loans (FNSL) Company Limited, was upgraded to a universal bank on September 4, 2014.
It expanded rapidly across the country, establishing one of the largest branch networks in the banking sector.
The central bank, however, at the time argued that its regulatory assessments revealed that GN Bank’s expansion was not supported by adequate capital buffers and sound risk management practices.
BoG discovered that GN Bank regularly breached key prudential requirements, including capital adequacy and liquidity ratios.
Meanwhile, Papa Kwesi Nduom, the Founder of GN Savings and Loans, has said the past seven years have been ‘difficult, very, very difficult’.
He further expressed gratitude to God for sustaining him and his team.
According to Papa Kwesi Nduom, Ghana is now in a very good political environment, adding that with the wind of restoration of their license, they are ready to play their role for Ghana to achieve the prosperity it needs.
Speaking to the media following the Court of Appeal has, by a unanimous decision, restored the licence of GN Savings and Loans Company Limited, Papa Kwesi Nduom stated, “It’s been a difficult, very, very difficult seven years. We want to thank the family. We want to thank all of our employees. We’ve had some very loyal, hardworking employees who have stood with us all these years”.
“And definitely, we give thanks to the Almighty for keeping us healthy enough to be where we are because this has been a very, very tough, very difficult time that we have gone through. It’s just unimaginable,” he added.
“We are in a very good political environment, and that environment has brought about a wind of change. We are expecting that with the licence restored, we will now play our part in making sure that this country achieves the level of prosperity that is needed,” he stated.
He further disclosed that GN Savings and Loans would, at the appropriate time, hold a press conference to brief Ghanaians”.
