Ukrainian lender TAScombank and retail institution Idea Bank are moving forward with plans to merge into a single entity, according to TAScombank board chairman Volodymyr Dubey.
Dubey told news outlet LIGA.net that combining the two financial institutions has become a technical matter as TAScombank finishes an internal software upgrade. He said the merger is proceeding according to plan.
TAScombank expects to complete its transition to a new operating system in August. Combining the operating systems of both banks will take about six months after that, before full integration of their systems can begin.
Idea Bank operations and product strategy
Despite the legal merger into a single balance sheet, TAScombank does not plan to combine the product offerings of the two banks. Dubey said Idea Bank will remain within its existing retail niche.
TAScombank will make no changes to Idea Bank's mobile application, product line, management team, or branch network. Dubey explained that altering an effective business model makes no sense and that the model should be developed further.
He added that management sees no obstacles that cannot be resolved while operating on a single balance sheet.
Idea Bank, based in Lviv, focuses on retail banking services for individual clients, offering cash loans, credit cards, deposits, current accounts, and debit cards. Polish group Getin Holding SA sold 100 percent of Idea Bank shares for $36.5 million on April 23, 2025, to Cyprus-registered Alkemi Limited, a member of the TAS Group.
As of March 1, 2025, Idea Bank held 12.68 billion Ukrainian hryvnias in total assets, accounting for 0.34 percent of the national banking system. It ranked 27th among 60 banks operating in Ukraine at the time.
Growth strategy and TAS Group ownership
TAScombank has set a strategic objective to rank among the top ten largest banks in Ukraine by the end of 2028. Dubey said the bank can reach this target by expanding capital, credit, and deposit portfolios, or by acquiring other banks to speed up its growth.
Headquartered in Kyiv, TAScombank was established in 1989 as one of the first commercial banks in Ukraine. By the end of July 2026, the institution operated more than 80 branches and focused primarily on corporate business clients.
TAScombank earned over 1 billion Ukrainian hryvnias in net profit in 2025, making it the 17th most profitable bank in Ukraine that year.
The bank has been part of Ukrainian businessman Sergiy Tigipko's TAS financial-industrial group since 2004. The group's financial holdings also include Universal Bank, which operates monobank.
