René Benko has left his mark on his creditors – apparently including a Swiss bank. Getty Images/filo | picture alliance / EXPA / APA /
The Swiss bank CIC has to write off 37.5 million francs due to bad loans.
According to “Inside Paradeplatz” these are two loans for René Benko’s Signa empire.
The loans were apparently granted at the beginning of 2023, when problems in the Benko empire were already becoming apparent.
The Swiss bank CIC, based in Basel, doesn’t have too good news. Due to bad loans, it had to write off around 37.5 million Swiss francs (the equivalent of around 38 million euros) for 2023.
Now it becomes clear how the sum comes about. As the medium “Inside Paradeplatz” reports, these are said to be two loans for René Benko’s Signa empire.
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Agree and show external content Watch a video here of how the rise and fall of René Benko came about.
René Benko was one of the most colorful billionaires
René Benko was one of Europe’s most dazzling billionaires until 2023. The Austrian worked his way up from a humble background and built what is now one of the largest real estate empires in the world: Signa Holding. It included luxury properties in top locations, such as Hamburg’s Elbtower, or retail companies such as Galeria Karstadt Kaufhof. Last year the company went spectacularly bankrupt.
The CIC is now apparently also feeling this bankruptcy. Loud “Inside Paradeplatz“Two loan tranches have been granted to Benkos Signa, each in the double-digit million range.
Loans worth millions for René Benko
Spicy: On both occasions there is said to have been no deposit for the mortgage.
The timing at which the bank is said to have given Benko loans is also interesting. According to the Swiss medium, that was at the beginning of 2023. At this point, the first problems in the Benko empire had already become apparent.
Shortly before, one of the largest Signa investors, the multi-billionaire and currently the richest German according to estimates, Klaus-Michael Kühne, had left Benko. He is said to have followed through with the rejection coldly by email.
When asked by “Inside Paradeplatz”, a CIC spokeswoman said that they never comment on specific positions or possible customer relationships.
Have you also heard something about René Benko or the Signa Group? Then contact our reporter Luca Schallenberger confidentially ([email protected], Threema: 3MRRX6T9).
LS