Aug. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Barclays Plc, the U.K. bank competing to buy ABN Amro Holding NV, said it received regulatory approval to file its formal 65.2 billion-euro ($89.9 billion) offer to shareholders of the two companies.

London-based Barclays bid 2.13 ordinary shares and 13.15 euros a share for each ordinary share of Amsterdam-based ABN Amro, the biggest Dutch bank, Barclays said in a statement today. The acceptance period runs from tomorrow to Oct. 4.

Barclays's proposal is competing with a higher 71.9 billion- euro joint bid for ABN Amro by Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, Banco Santander SA and Fortis. ABN Amro withdrew its recommendation of the Barclays bid on July 30, saying it's financially inferior to the Royal Bank group's mostly cash offer.

``The bid of the others is basically maximized,'' Barclays board member and head of consumer banking Frits Seegers said in an interview in Mumbai on Aug. 4. ``Our bid with the rise in share price will blow through these numbers.''

Shares of London-based Barclays rose 0.3 percent to 681 pence in London as shareholders of Fortis meeting in Brussels and the Dutch city of Utrecht approved the Belgium-based bank's part in a rival offer for ABN Amro.

Fortis investors also approved the bank's $13 billion share sale to fund its part in the offer. Royal Bank's shareholders vote on the deal Aug. 10.

Barclays will ask shareholders to vote on the deal on Sept. 14. ABN Amro holds an extraordinary general meeting Sept. 20 to discuss the offers, Barclays said.

The Royal Bank-led trio intends to break up ABN Amro while Barclays wants to keep the bank in one piece to get retail and commercial operations in 53 countries.

To contact the reporter on this story: Joana Quintanilha in Amsterdam at quintanilha@bloomberg.net; Ben Livesey in London at blivesey@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: August 6, 2007 13:15 EDT