Italy seeks merger deal to cut public stake in Monte Paschi
Adds share reaction, Giorgetti quotes and context in paragraphs 1, 3-8
By Giuseppe Fonte
ROME, July 3 (Reuters) -Italy is looking a merger deal to further cut its stake in bailed-out lender Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) BMPS.MI, Economy Minister Giancarlo Giorgetti said, prompting the bank's share price to climb by about 7%.
After rescuing MPS in 2017 and gaining an initial 68% stake, Italy has cut its shareholding in recent months to just below 27% through two successive market placements, pocketing around 1.6 billion euros ($1.72 billion).
Giorgetti said on Wednesday the government wanted to follow for MPS "the same logic" it used for a tie-up between ITA Airways and Germany's Lufthansa LHAG.DE, which was the main subject of the press conference.
"We want to do an industrial operation but under the right conditions for the state and the economy. The transaction will be done when these conditions are met, we are not desperate," Giorgetti said.
Sources close to the privatisation process have previously said the Treasury needs to cede control of MPS and eventually put the lender back into private hands by the end of this year to meet re-privatisation terms agreed with the European Union.
"The interest of the Italian economy is to have a plurality of banking hubs. 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 attempt to privatise the bank in 2021 proved fruitless as Italy's No.2 bank UniCredit CRDI.MI walked away from merger talks with the Treasury, forcing Rome to seek more time from Brussels.
Since taking office in late 2022, Giorgetti and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have repeatedly said that the government would try to boost competition among banks with the privatisation of MPS, signaling a preference for a merger with another mid-sized lender.
That raised the prospect of a potential deal with Banco BPM BAMI.MI or BPER Banca EMII.MI, Italy's third and fourth largest banks respectively, though both have said they were not interested in MPS.
In the absence of interested parties, the government may still use share placements to cut its stake as it did so far. A commitment not to sell more MPS shares since the last placement in March expired on July 2.
($1 = 0.9285 euros)
Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte and Angelo Amante, editing by Crispian Balmer and Emelia Sithole-Matarise
Mga Kaugnay na Asset
Pinakabagong Balita
Disclaimer: Ang mga kabilang sa XM Group ay nagbibigay lang ng serbisyo sa pagpapatupad at pag-access sa aming Online Trading Facility, kung saan pinapahintulutan nito ang pagtingin at/o paggamit sa nilalaman na makikita sa website o sa pamamagitan nito, at walang layuning palitan o palawigin ito, at hindi din ito papalitan o papalawigin. Ang naturang pag-access at paggamit ay palaging alinsunod sa: (i) Mga Tuntunin at Kundisyon; (ii) Mga Babala sa Risk; at (iii) Kabuuang Disclaimer. Kaya naman ang naturang nilalaman ay ituturing na pangkalahatang impormasyon lamang. Mangyaring isaalang-alang na ang mga nilalaman ng aming Online Trading Facility ay hindi paglikom, o alok, para magsagawa ng anumang transaksyon sa mga pinansyal na market. Ang pag-trade sa alinmang pinansyal na market ay nagtataglay ng mataas na lebel ng risk sa iyong kapital.
Lahat ng materyales na nakalathala sa aming Online Trading Facility ay nakalaan para sa layuning edukasyonal/pang-impormasyon lamang at hindi naglalaman – at hindi dapat ituring bilang naglalaman – ng payo at rekomendasyon na pangpinansyal, tungkol sa buwis sa pag-i-invest, o pang-trade, o tala ng aming presyo sa pag-trade, o alok para sa, o paglikom ng, transaksyon sa alinmang pinansyal na instrument o hindi ginustong pinansyal na promosyon.
Sa anumang nilalaman na galing sa ikatlong partido, pati na ang mga nilalaman na inihanda ng XM, ang mga naturang opinyon, balita, pananaliksik, pag-analisa, presyo, ibang impormasyon o link sa ibang mga site na makikita sa website na ito ay ibibigay tulad ng nandoon, bilang pangkalahatang komentaryo sa market at hindi ito nagtataglay ng payo sa pag-i-invest. Kung ang alinmang nilalaman nito ay itinuring bilang pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, kailangan mong isaalang-alang at tanggapin na hindi ito inilaan at inihanda alinsunod sa mga legal na pangangailangan na idinisenyo para maisulong ang pagsasarili ng pananaliksik sa pag-i-invest, at dahil dito ituturing ito na komunikasyon sa marketing sa ilalim ng mga kaugnay na batas at regulasyon. Mangyaring siguruhin na nabasa at naintindihan mo ang aming Notipikasyon sa Hindi Independyenteng Pananaliksik sa Pag-i-invest at Babala sa Risk na may kinalaman sa impormasyong nakalagay sa itaas, na maa-access dito.