Italy government to stay neutral over moves on MPS, sources say
08/06/2026 14:25
Italy government to stay neutral over moves on MPS, sources say ROME, June 8 (Reuters) - The Italian government will take a neutral stance regarding merger and acquisition moves targeting bank Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS), two sources familiar with the matter said.
Italy's top banking group Intesa Sanpaolo ISP.MI made a €30.6 billion ($35 billion) unsolicited cash-and-share bid on Monday to buy smaller rival Monte dei Paschi BMPS.MI to create the euro zone's second-largest lender.
Amid mounting expectations of an Intesa bid, Banco BPM BAMI.MI, Italy's fourth-largest bank, said on Sunday it wanted to open talks with MPS about a potential merger.
(Reporting by Giuseppe Fonte, editing by Gavin Jones)
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