In brief
The Serbian National Bank revoked Alta Banka’s licence on 1 November; its owner and chair, Davor Macura, was arrested the next day. While the revocation and arrest are confirmed, allegations of money‑laundering connections to top Serbian officials remain under investigation.
After the Serbian National Bank (NBS) revoked Alta Banka’s operating licence on Saturday 1 November, the bank’s owner and chair, Davor Macura, was taken into custody on Sunday night, according to coverage from BTA and Nova.rs.
The licence revocation came amid NBS‑initiated insolvency proceedings, which have opened a broader investigation into the bank’s operations, including irregularities reported in neighbouring Slovakia and Montenegro. The NBS press office stated that Alta Pay Group’s payment‑services licence in Montenegro was also revoked the same week.
BTA notes that the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime has called for an enquiry into Alta’s business practices and the conduct of NBS officials, with at least three individuals, including Macura, alledgedly arrested in the probe. Sources cite that Macura is suspected of having taken over RSD 45 billion (about EUR 380 million) from the vault.
Unconfirmed elements in the story include allegations that the bank was involved in money‑laundering schemes linked to the Serbian Progressive Party and its leader Aleksandar Vučić. A letter sent by U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson on 14 October to Secretary of State Marco Rubio identified four Serbian businessmen, including Macura, as potential sanction targets for alleged misuse of public resources, yet Macura has not been formally sanctioned. Alta Banka has repeatedly denied these allegations and remains under scrutiny in regional regulatory reviews.
