CSOB - CESKOSLOVENSKA OBOCHODNI BANKA, the Czech subsidiary of the Belgian Flemish financial group KBC, has acquired the third largest Czech bank (including assets and liabilities) IPB - INVESTICNI A POSTOVNI BANKA, which is on the brink of bankruptcy. IPB (180 agencies, 3 million clients and a 20% market share in the deposit field), of which about 46% has belonged since March 1998 to the Japanese group NOMURA, was placed under the guardianship of the Czech national bank at the end of last week. After this operation, CSOB is expected to become the leading financial group in the Czech Republic, and one of the largest in Europe. IPB has a basic capital of CZK13.4 billion but is said to have suffered losses of over CZK20 billion crowns, according to banking sources.