Italy delays approval of Poste stake sale, sources say
Stake sale would be part of revenue hunt to rein in debt
Politicians resist loosening grip on key public service
The government had already scaled back its plans in May
By Giuseppe Fonte
ROME, July 16 (Reuters) -Italy has held off approval of a decree to sell a stake in Poste Italiane PST.MI, people familiar with the matter told Reuters, following resistance from ruling and opposition parties to loosen the state's grip on key public services.
As part of its drive to sell state assets to rein in Italy's massive public debt, the government approved a decree in January allowing the Treasury to sell all or part of its 29.3 stake in the postal service, while retaining control through another 35% stake held by state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP).
However, following widespread criticism for selling part of a strategic company, the Treasury told union representatives in May it would review the decree to place a smaller 13% stake, keeping 51% in state hands.
The three sources, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said on Tuesday that approval of the revised decree was not on the government agenda, without providing further details.
The scheme was initially expected to be adopted in June, according to what Treasury representatives told the unions.
Rome would pocket around 2 billion euros ($2.2 billion) from the sale of roughly 13% of Poste, which is worth 16 billion euros.
Critics argue that debt interest savings stemming from the sale would be lower than the dividends paid by Poste over time.
The group - a major employer in Italy with more than 120,000 workers - plans to pay out 6.5 billion euros in dividends between 2024 and 2028, up from the 3.8 billion euros it distributed over the previous five years.
Italy raised more than 3 billion euros in 2015 when it sold 35% of Poste in an initial public offering that valued the group at 8.8 billion euros.
Rome had considered a further stake sale in 2016 under the centre-left government of Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, but decided against it due to concerns that higher private ownership of the group would put pressure on Poste to boost profitability and cut the post office network.
One of the sources said Rome was focused on plans to cut further its roughly 27% stake in bailed-out lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) BMPS.MI and re-privatise the world's oldest bank, after a failed first attempt in 2021.
People close to the privatisation process have previously said the Treasury needs to cede control of MPS by the end of this year to meet re-privatisation terms agreed with the European Union at the time of the 2017 bailout.
($1 = 0.9175 euros)
Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise
Related Assets
Latest News
Disclaimer: The XM Group entities provide execution-only service and access to our Online Trading Facility, permitting a person to view and/or use the content available on or via the website, is not intended to change or expand on this, nor does it change or expand on this. Such access and use are always subject to: (i) Terms and Conditions; (ii) Risk Warnings; and (iii) Full Disclaimer. Such content is therefore provided as no more than general information. Particularly, please be aware that the contents of our Online Trading Facility are neither a solicitation, nor an offer to enter any transactions on the financial markets. Trading on any financial market involves a significant level of risk to your capital.
All material published on our Online Trading Facility is intended for educational/informational purposes only, and does not contain – nor should it be considered as containing – financial, investment tax or trading advice and recommendations; or a record of our trading prices; or an offer of, or solicitation for, a transaction in any financial instruments; or unsolicited financial promotions to you.
Any third-party content, as well as content prepared by XM, such as: opinions, news, research, analyses, prices and other information or links to third-party sites contained on this website are provided on an “as-is” basis, as general market commentary, and do not constitute investment advice. To the extent that any content is construed as investment research, you must note and accept that the content was not intended to and has not been prepared in accordance with legal requirements designed to promote the independence of investment research and as such, it would be considered as marketing communication under the relevant laws and regulations. Please ensure that you have read and understood our Notification on Non-Independent Investment. Research and Risk Warning concerning the foregoing information, which can be accessed here.
