GQG had decided to sell up by July, having told BBVA's management team that it believed the Sabadell bid would be too time consuming and distracting, while also diluting its exposure to emerging markets, the FT report said. Neither GQG, nor BBVA nor Sabadell immediately responded to a Reuters request for comment.
Banking consolidation is not always the best way to create shareholder value and can lead to oligopolies that are bad for clients, Chair of Spain's Sabadell Josep Oliu said on Monday. Sabadell is trying to fend off an around 12 billion euro ($13.09 billion) hostile takeover by rival BBVA that the Spanish government has opposed. The European Central Bank, however, approved it on Sept. 5.