Italy would focus on savings, SME lending in any Banco BPM-Credit Agricole deal

Amundi SA

10/09/2025 15:54

Removes extraneous 's' in paragraph 4

ROME, Sept 10 (Reuters) - Italy would focus on protecting small business lending and domestic savings in a tie-up between Banco BPM BAMI.MI and the local arm of French Credit Agricole CAGR.PA, the head of the lower house's finance committee said, adding a bank's nationality was not an issue per se.

Banco BPM is looking for a merger partner after escaping a takeover attempt by rival UniCredit CRDI.MI. CEO Giuseppe Castagna said in August the two options are Credit Agricole and Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) BMPS.MI, with the first option seen as easier to pursue in the near term as MPS is already involved in an acquisition.

Any deal would require government approval as Italy has power to impose conditions on transactions involving key corporate assets on grounds on national security.

"We don't care if a bank's name is from Lombardy, Campania or France, we care about protecting savings and lending to small and medium-sized firms, we want banks to be close to local communities," Marco Osnato, a prominent member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, told Reuters.

 (Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte in Rome and Valentina Za in Milan, editing by Giselda Vagnoni)

 ((giuseppe.fonte@thomsonreuters.com; +390680307711;))