FRANKFURT: A reported 10 per cent stake in Deutsche Bank held by its biggest shareholder, Qatar’s Al Thani family, includes purchase options amounting to nearly 2 per cent, a person familiar with the situation told Reuters on Monday. The size of the stake was the basis for the nomination of lawyer Stefan Simon to the supervisory board of Germany’s biggest lender last month. That was made at the suggestion of Paramount Services Holdings and Supreme Universal Holdings, investment vehicles of Shaikh Hamad Bin Jasem Bin Jaber Al Thani.
However, confusion surfaced over the weekend after a media report cited a court document as showing the Qataris held only 8 per cent in the lender. The person familiar with the situation told Reuters the Qataris held just over 8 per cent in shares but also held nearly 2 per cent in options, bringing their total stake to nearly 10 per cent.
