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Italy seeks merger deal to cut public stake in Monte Paschi

Italy is looking a merger deal to even more cut its stake in bailedout lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti stated, prompting the bank's share price to climb by about 7%.

After rescuing MPS in 2017 and acquiring a preliminary 68% stake, Italy has actually cut its shareholding in current months to simply listed below 27% through 2 succeeding market positionings, swiping around 1.6 billion euros ($ 1.72 billion).

Giorgetti said on Wednesday the federal government wanted to follow for MPS the exact same logic it utilized for a tie-up between ITA Airways and Germany's Lufthansa, which was the primary topic of the press conference.

We want to do a commercial operation but under the right conditions for the state and the economy. The transaction will be done when these conditions are fulfilled, we are not desperate, Giorgetti said.

Sources near the privatisation process have previously stated the Treasury needs to cede control of MPS and ultimately put the lending institution back into personal hands by the end of this year to satisfy re-privatisation terms agreed with the European Union.

The interest of the Italian economy is to have a plurality of banking centers. The fact that there is (market) interest on Italy is not a bad thing, Giorgetti added, replying to a. question about a possible foreign partner for MPS.

A first effort to privatise the bank in 2021 proved. unsuccessful as Italy's No. 2 bank UniCredit walked away. from merger talks with the Treasury, forcing Rome to seek more. time from Brussels.

Given that taking workplace in late 2022, Giorgetti and Prime. Minister Giorgia Meloni have consistently stated that the government. would attempt to improve competition among banks with the. privatisation of MPS, signaling a preference for a merger with. another mid-sized lending institution.

That raised the possibility of a potential handle Banco BPM. or BPER Banca, Italy's 3rd and 4th. largest banks respectively, though both have stated they were not. interested in MPS.

In the absence of interested parties, the federal government may. still use share positionings to cut its stake as it did so far. A. dedication not to sell more MPS shares given that the last placement. in March expired on July 2.

(source: Reuters)