Policy

ALTA bank loses its licence after a sudden fall in liquidity

The National Bank of Serbia (NBS) revoked Alta Bank's operating licence following a sudden deterioration in liquidity. How much of the deposits lacked cash backing, and how much public money was uninsured?

By Zoran Ninic CFA EMBA MSc · 31 October 2026 · 2 min read

Народна банка Србије (НБС) је 31. октобра 2026. године одузела дозволу за рад Алта банци у стопостотном власништву бизнисмена Давора Мацуре, чији се пословни успон годинама у јавности и медиј — On 31 October 2026, the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) revoked the operating licence of Alta bank, wholly owned by businessman Davor Macura, whose business rise had for years been linked by the public and the media to close ties and business dealings with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS).

The National Bank of Serbia (NBS) revoked ALTA bank operating licence on 31 October 2026, following a sudden fall in liquidity amid the political changes that followed the Serbian parliamentary election of 25 October. The Deposit Insurance Agency will be appointed as bankruptcy administrator, and payouts of insured deposits will start within seven working days.

According to ALTA bank financial report for 30 June 2026, deposits and other liabilities to clients, including companies, households and the public sector, amounted to €1.465bn. After deducting €711m of required reserves and cash held with the NBS, the bank's net gap without cash cover was €755m.

Although deposits of individuals, entrepreneurs and SMEs are insured up to €50,000, and the bank's assets have probably changed significantly because of the sudden fall in liquidity, the amount of uninsured public-sector deposits is currently obscure and might have further implied effect. This is especially relevant given that state owned electricity provider EPS, among others, held its deposit accounts for collecting electricity payments from Belgrade consumers at ALTA.

Alta banka je ostala bez dozvole nakon naglog pada likvidnosti

Narodna banka Srbije oduzela je 31. oktobra 2026. dozvolu za rad Alta banci, nakon naglog pada likvidnosti u jeku političkih promena posle parlamentarnih izbora 25. oktobra. Agencija za osiguranje depozita biće imenovana za stečajnog upravnika, a isplata osiguranih depozita počinje u roku od sedam radnih dana.

Prema finansijskom izveštaju Alta banke, objavljenom 30. juna 2026, depoziti i ostale obaveze prema komitentima, uključujući privredu, građane i javni sektor, iznosili su 1,465 milijardi evra. Nakon umanjenja za obaveznu rezervu i gotovinu deponovanu kod NBS od 711 miliona evra, neto razlika Alta banke bez gotovinskog pokrića je 755 miliona evra.

Iako su depoziti građana, preduzetnika i MSP osigurani do 50 hiljada evra, a stanje u aktivi Alta banke se verovatno značajno promenilo zbog naglog pada likvidnosti, bilo bi korisno objaviti koliki je iznos neosiguranih depozita javnog sektora, jer je i to novac poreskih obveznika. Pogotovo uzimajući u obzir EPS, pored ostalih, koji je depozitne račune za naplatu struje od potrošača u Beogradu držao u Alti.