Banque Populaire du Rwanda
Banque Populaire du Rwanda Public Limited Company, formerly Banque Populaire du Rwanda SA, is a commercial bank in Rwanda. The bank is licensed by the National Bank of Rwanda, the central bank and national banking regulator.
Overview
BPR is a retail bank, offering products that include current and savings accounts, debit and credit cards, mortgages and loans. The bank offers consumer banking tools like mobile banking, as well as agricultural business expertise to corporate customers in the food and agri-business value chain., BPR was a medium-sized financial services provider in Rwanda. Its total asset valuation was RWF:273.201 billion, with RWF:42.568 billion in shareholder funds.
In 2016, BPR employed about 1,400 staff at that time. However, following the acquisition by Atlas Mara, and the merger with BRD Commercial, about 300 people were terminated.
History
The origins of the bank can be traced back to 1975, when the first Banque Populaire du Rwanda was formed in the settlement of Nkamba, in the city of Kibungo, Eastern Province. Over the next ten years, many other similar banks were founded around the country. In 1986, the various autonomous Banques Populaires formed an umbrella called the Union des Banques Populaires du Rwanda. UBPR was operated as a cooperative bank.In January 2008, following 33 years of experience in the Rwandan financial sector, UBPR was transformed from a cooperative bank into a commercial bank: Banque Populaire du Rwanda S.A. In June 2008, Rabobank, the Dutch cooperative banking conglomerate, acquired 35 percent of the shares in BPR. In July 2012, Visa Inc. certified the bank to issue visa-branded debit and credit cards.
In January 2016, Atlas Mara completed its acquisition of a controlling stake of BPR after acquiring shares from existing shareholders and merging the bank with the commercial banking business that was spun off Rwanda Development Bank.
In April 2019, Equity Bank Group, the second largest banking conglomerate by assets in East Africa, unveiled plans to acquire 62 percent of Banque Populaire du Rwanda, in a share swap with the Atlas Mara Limited.
Ownership
the bank's stock was owned by the following corporate entities, as outlined in the table below:| Rank | Name of Owner | Percentage Ownership |
| 1 | Atlas Mara Limited | |
| 2 | ||
| 3 | Other Minority Shareholders | |
| Total | - |
Arise is an investment company that focuses on investments in Africa. It is owned by a consortium of European financial institutions including FMO, Rabobank and Norfund