(Bloomberg) — UniCredit SpA launched a €10 billion ($10.6 billion) all-share offer for domestic rival Banco BPM, opening a second major takeover front as Chief Executive Officer Andrea Orcel also pursues Commerzbank AG.
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Under the offer, Banco BPM investors will get 0.175 new shares of UniCredit for every Banco BPM share they hold, according to a press release. That values the bank at 6.657 euros a share, implying a 0.5% premium on Friday closing.
Acquiring Banco BPM, a long-held potential target for Orcel, would make UniCredit Italy’s largest lender by assets and accelerate this year’s wave of European bank merger activity. The domestic offer comes during a lull in UniCredit’s efforts to buy its German rival, which faces stiff opposition from the government in Berlin.
The Italian government hasn’t yet commented on the proposed deal. French bank Credit Agricole SA, which owns a stake of approximately 9% in Banco BPM, declined to comment. Banco BPM didn’t immediately comment.
UniCredit’s bid BPM resumes a trend toward domestic bank consolidation in Italy after a pause last year. Intesa Sanpaolo SpA’s takeover of smaller rival UBI Banca kicked off the season in 2020, followed by the acquisition of Credito Valtellinese SpA by the Italian unit of Credit Agricole SA in 2021 and BPER Banca SpA’s purchase of Banca Carige SpA in 2022.
Banco BPM earlier this month bought a stake in Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena SpA and is also seeking to take over asset manager Anima.
The sale of the government’s stake in Monte Paschi was another step in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s effort to promote banking consolidation. Yet Orcel’s move would make it more difficult for the government to foster a third major banking group.
The deal would incur integration charges of around €2.0 billion during year one, according to UniCredit’s release on Monday.
Banco BPM, which has almost €200 billion of assets, has long been seen as a target for UniCredit to expand in the rich Lombardy region and add lucrative segments to its business, according to analysts.
–With assistance from Jenny Che.
(Updates with further details throughout)
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