(Adds Absa spokeswoman, background)
JOHANNESBURG, Nov 13 (Reuters) - Former South African
Reserve Bank deputy governor Daniel Mminele will be appointed
chief executive of Absa, the BusinessDay newspaper
reported on Wednesday, citing anonymous sources.
Absa spokeswoman Phumza Macanda said the bank would not
comment on speculation.
Mminele, who retired as second-in-command at the central
bank in June after serving more than 10 years there, would be
Absa's first black chief executive if appointed.
Long-time Absa boss Maria Ramos, at the helm when UK-based
Barclays exited an 11-year controlling stake in 2017,
retired earlier this year, with the bank saying in August it had
completed a selection process for a successor.
Absa has lost market share in the last decade, slipping to
third largest in terms of assets, and also faces increasing
competition from new digital players Discovery Bank and
TymeBank.
The lender reported a 5% rise in first-half profit in August
but a drop in its corporate and investment
divisions.
(Reporting by Emma Rumney; writing by Mfuneko Toyana; editing
by Jason Neely and Alexandra Hudson)