Citigroup has said it is weighing the acquisition of American Regional Bank to bolster deposits and lending.
Citigroup, a key player in global finance, may consider buying a U.S. regional bank or brokerage to boost deposit rates, expand branches and strengthen lending operations, Bloomberg reported Friday, citing sources familiar with the matter.
The talks involved banks with about $500 billion in assets and brokerages such as Stifel and Raymond James, and regulatory approval is required under existing deal orders, the report said.
A successful acquisition would represent a major step under CEO Jane Fraser and could reshape Citigroup's footprint to better compete with JPMorgan and Bank of America.
Capital has been recently released
The report comes as City sit on the capital following a series of ups and downs.
In the year On February 18, 2026, the company completed the sale of its Russian subsidiary to Renaissance Capital.
Five days later, Citigroup sold a 49 percent stake in Banamex, the Mexican consumer banking arm, for $2.5 billion.
Executives said they do not expect more Banamex divestments this year, which could lead to free capital for growth investments in the US.
Recent financial performance
Corporate banking revenue rose 78 percent year-on-year to $2.2 billion in Q4 2025, driven by the bank's focus on institutional and wholesale clients.
Citigroup shares were trading at $108 at the time of the report, below the analyst consensus price of $135.
Citi develops infrastructure for Bitcoin protection and wallet services.
Citi has been quietly building the infrastructure for Bitcoin integration for over three years and is now ready to launch services that bring digital assets into traditional financial systems.
The offering includes the same risk controls and reporting as conventional securities, allowing Bitcoin positions to be integrated into existing workflows.
Citi is exploring stablecoins and blockchain-based deposit tokens to modernize cross-border payments.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Vivian Nguyen. See our Editorial Policy for more information on how we create and review content.
