Manchester City’s star striker Erling Haaland is ploughing some of his vast wealth into Henning Oldendorff’s Maritime & Merchant Bank (M&M Bank).
Shareholder lists cited by Tekinvestor show the Norwegian goal machine has acquired 600,000 shares in the niche shipping lender, listed on the over-the-counter Oslo exchange.
And the footballer’s father, Alf-Inge Haaland, himself a former pro, has also bought shares through his investment company Tyrannus.
The father and son have 1.5% combined. The deals would have cost about NOK 15m ($1.4m).
Haaland junior is one of the highest-paid footballers in the world. Some reports place his salary at about £45m ($57.2m) per year.
German bulker owner Oldendorff has 25% of the bank. Norwegian investor Endre Rosjo, who is chairman, also has 25%.
Rosjo told Norway’s Dagens Naeringsliv newspaper: “Very funny that top sports people put their savings in M&M Bank shares.
“I would also have bought further now, but am stopped by the concession limit of 25%.”
Other M&M Bank shareholders include Norwegian shipowner Arne Blystad.
Athlete investor
Former Norwegian athlete Ole Einar Bjorndalen has 2%.
Deutsche Bank, SEB and Societe Generale are also involved.
The 10-year-old bank’s loan book has grown over the past year in strong vessel markets.
M&M Bank said it had loaned out $378.7m to 31 March, up from $349.2m at the same point a year ago.
Net profit was $3.4m, from $3.7m in 2023.
Net interest income was $6.6m, unchanged from last year.
