UK govt in talks to sell RBS stake to Abu Dhabi

clock

The UK government is in advanced talks to sell a significant stake in the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) to Abu Dhabi.

According to the BBC, the government, which controls 82% of RBS, has been negotiating with Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth funds for months. It could sell up to a third of its stake to Abu Dhabi, one of the seven states of the United Arab Emirates. Any sale will likely be loss-making given the significant fall in the share price of RBS since the government acquired its stake. The government was forced to inject £45.5bn of taxpayers' cash into the troubled bank between 2008-09 to prevent its collapse following the group's takeover of ABN Amro at what turned out to be the top of the marke...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Economics / Markets

Inflation falls faster than predicted ahead of BoE interest rate vote

Inflation falls faster than predicted ahead of BoE interest rate vote

3.2% in November

Michael Nelson
clock 17 December 2025 • 2 min read
FCA's Rathi addresses Autumn Budget market abuse concerns

FCA's Rathi addresses Autumn Budget market abuse concerns

Pens open letter to Treasury Committee

Isabel Baxter
clock 04 December 2025 • 2 min read
More tax, less shelter: A slow-burn Budget for savers and investors

More tax, less shelter: A slow-burn Budget for savers and investors

'The Budget documents make for sobering reading for those trying to build up their wealth'

Laith Khalaf
clock 04 December 2025 • 3 min read