Mihov said that Volksbank's offices in Slovenia would get the new name and likely new corporate image next year, which is in line with Sberbank's plans to retire the Volksbank brand.

According to him, the Russian bank will adapt its operations on the Slovenian market because of higher average personal income than on other markets where Volksbank is present.

However, Mihov stressed that Sberbank saw equal possibilities for cooperation with companies on all VBI's markets.

He reiterated that the Russian bank was currently not interested in acquiring other banks in Slovenia because "we will focus on Volksbank and there is a lot of work ahead".

Touching on Volksbank's relatively low profitability in Slovenia, Mihov said that the new owners were ready to work hard and at the same time certain of their success.