In brief
The National Bank of Serbia revoked Alta Banka’s licence on 2 November 2026, and owner and chair Davor Macura was arrested the following night. Investigation staff are probing allegations of money‑laundering, irregularities in Macedonian and Montenegrin subsidiaries, and the bank’s handling of depositors’ funds. The case has attracted international attention, including a U.S. Congressman’s letter on 14 October, and has prompted provisional administration of the Bitola branch by the Macedonian central bank.
On 2 November 2026 the National Bank of Serbia (NBS) revoked the licence of Alta Banka, and on the following night Davor Macura, the bank’s owner and chair of its Board of Directors, was taken into custody, BTA reported. Macura, who began his career running a currency‑exchange bureau in Belgrade, is widely described in the media as a businessman close to the Serbian Progressive Party and its leader Aleksandar Vucic, BTA noted, although no party membership has been confirmed.
The licence revocation followed the NBS’s initiation of insolvency proceedings and triggered investigations into alleged money‑laundering activities. N1 reported on Monday that the Public Prosecutor’s Office for Organized Crime has called for an inquiry into Alta’s operations, including the conduct of NBS officials, and that three individuals have already been arrested; Macura is suspected of taking RSD 45 billion—over EUR 380 million—from the bank’s vault.
Irregularities have also been reported in North Macedonia and Montenegro. The National Bank of Macedonia placed Alta Banka a.d. Bitola under temporary administration, Trajko Slaveski announced in a media briefing, stressing that the move was to ensure smooth operations rather than to close the branch. In Montenegro, the Alta Pay Group’s payment‑services licence was revoked on Sunday, Satu Public announcements indicated.
International dimensions emerged when U.S. Congressman Joe Wilson sent a letter on 14 October to Secretary of State Marco Rubio proposing sanctions against four Serbian businessmen allegedly tied to Vucic.
Wilson named Macura among those alleged to have used public resources for personal enrichment and claimed his bank had been involved in money‑laundering; Alta Banka denied the allegations and Macura has not been sanctioned. The letter drew no formal action at the time.
The bank’s evolution over seven years—from a successor to the Yugoslav Bank for International Economic Cooperation to a major institution trusted by state‑owned enterprises—has raised questions about the fate of depositors’ funds, the responsibility of the bank’s management, and the actions of NBS officials during the collapse, BTA reported. As of this evening, officials from the NBS and the Public Prosecutor’s Office have stated that investigations will continue, and that all evidence will be rendered before any final legal conclusion.
Ongoing Uncertainties
While the NBS has revoked the licence and Macura has been arrested, the exact amount taken from the vault, the extent of alleged money‑laundering and the roles of NBS officials remain under investigation. Depositors’ claims about the safety of their funds, the decisions to temporarily administer the Bitola branch rather than close it, and whether additional sanctions will be imposed on Macura or other associated businessmen are still unresolved, BTA and N1 have reported.
