LJUBLJANA, May 17 (Reuters) - Slovenia's third largest bank Abanka will pay out 66.7 million euros ($74.54 million) in dividends to its sole owner, the Slovenian state, the bank said on Friday, ahead of its expected sale in the coming weeks.
It also said it will give its art collection, which has a book value of some 216,000 euros, to the state-owned National Gallery in Ljubljana.
The bank said last month it made a group net profit of 66.7 million euros in 2018, up from 42.6 million a year before, boosted by higher non-interest rate income and lower costs.
The government plans to sell Abanka by the end of June. Hungarian bank OTP has said it is bidding, while local media have reported U.S. investment fund Apollo and Serbian AIK bank are also hoping to buy the bank. ($1 = 0.8949 euros) (Reporting by Marja Novak; Editing by Jan Harvey)