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☆ EU clears up to 1.2 bln euros of aid for cloud computing
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

European flags fly outside the European Commission headquarters in Brussels, Belgium September 20, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRUSSELS, Dec 5 (Reuters) - The European Commission approved on Tuesday up to 1.2 billion euros ($1.30 billion) of state aid for a European cloud computing project to try to boost the involvement of EU business in a field dominated by U.S. companies. Those countries will provide up to 1.2 billion euros in public funding, which in turn is expected to unlock 1.4 billion euros in private investments, the European Commission said. The European cloud technology project features 19 companies, including French companies Atos (ATOS.PA) and Orange (ORAN.PA), Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE) and Germany's SAP (SAPG.DE), Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) and Telefonica Espana (TEF.MC). The three biggest players in cloud computing are Amazon (AMZN.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Google (GOOGL.O).

Persons: Yves Herman, Didier Reynders, Sudip Kar, Gupta, Piotr Lipinski, Philip Blenkinsop, Barbara Lewis Organizations: European Commission, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Infrastructure, Services, IPCEI CIS, Union, Deutsche Telekom, SAP, Telecom Italia, Telefonica Espana, Microsoft, Google, Thomson Locations: Brussels, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Spain

☆ European mobile data traffic to triple by 2028 -GSMA
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The GSMA, which brings together more than 1,000 mobile phone operators and businesses, said 5G subscribers were interested in adding high-bandwidth services and content to their mobile contracts, as demand for high-quality gaming, extended reality, and video content grows. Mobile data traffic per smartphone will increase in Western Europe to 56 gigabytes (GB) per month in 2028, compared with 20 GB last year. In Central and Eastern Europe, it will rise to 37 GB per month from 14 GB in 2022, the lobby group said in its annual mobile economy report. More than 460 million Europeans, or 85% of the population, were connected to mobile internet in 2022, according to the GSMA. ($1 = 0.9168 euros)Reporting Diana Mandiá, editing by Milla Nissi and Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Denis Balibouse, GSMA, We're, Daniel Pataki, Diana Mandiá, Milla Nissi, Emelia Organizations: Soccer Football, FIFA, Qatar, REUTERS, Telecom Italia, Big Tech, Netflix, Microsoft, European Commission, Reuters, Thomson Locations: France, Argentina, Paris, Mobile, Western Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Orange, Europe

ROME, Nov 21 (Reuters) - Italy is considering candidates to take the helm of state lender Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), three sources close to the matter told Reuters, as part of a wider shake-up of state-controlled companies. State-backed investor CDP, founded 173 years ago, plays a key role in keeping strategic assets in national hands. Asked to comment on a change of CEO at CDP, Meloni's office said any rumours of a replacement for Scannapieco were unfounded. Rome is expected to decide on the top management of CDP in March at the latest, immediately after the approval of this year's CDP financial accounts, the sources said. The state lender invests savings made by Italians through the national post office network Poste Italiane.

Persons: Dario Scannapieco, Fincantieri, Giorgia, Scannapieco, Antonino Turicchi, Stefano Donnarumma, Mario Draghi, Elvira Pollina, Susan Fenton Organizations: Eni, ITA Airways, European Investment Bank, Telecom Italia's, Thomson Locations: Italy, State, Rome, EU, Milan

☆ TIM grid sale paves way for state-controlled network operator - minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Tim logo is seen at its headquarters in Rome, Italy November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Telecom Italia's (TIM) (TLIT.MI) planned sale of its fixed-line network to U.S. fund KKR (KKR.N) boosts the prospects of creating a national grid operator under state control, Italy's industry minister said on Tuesday. "Prospectively, I think this [the deal] will enhance the creation of a national grid operator under public control, in full respect of the EU competition law," Minister Adolfo Urso said during an event in Rome. The 19-billion-euro deal ($20.4 billion) is backed by the administration of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, which authorised the Treasury to spend up to 2.2 billion euros to take a 20% stake in the network. ($1 = 0.9330 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing Federico MaccioniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, Adolfo Urso, Giorgia Meloni, Elvira Pollina, Federico Maccioni Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Telecom, KKR, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy

☆ Telecom Italia CEO defends grid deal as top investor threatens legal challenge
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Telecom Italia (TIM) logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. CEO Pietro Labriola's comments follow criticism from top shareholder Vivendi (VIV.PA), which has threatened a legal challenge to the plan to sell the grid, saying it considered the decision to proceed without a shareholder vote as "unlawful". "It is not possible under the Italian law to transfer such competence to the shareholders," the CEO added. According to Vivendi, the sale required an extraordinary shareholder vote because it would change TIM's corporate purpose and therefore required a change to the company bylaws. Labriola said the deal is "no more than the strict execution of the delayering (business) plan" unanimously approved in 2022.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Pietro Labriola's, Labriola, Agostino Nuzzolo, Elvira Pollina, Giulia Segreti, Jan Harvey Organizations: Telecom Italia, REUTERS, Rights, Telecom, KKR, Vivendi, TIM, Thomson Locations: Milan

☆ Telecom Italia core profit up 9% as grid share deal helps domestic sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

That is ahead of a 1.37 billion euro company-provided analyst consensus. Total domestic sales rose 2.2% in the quarter to 2.98 billion euros, also above forecasts. The company confirmed its 2023 financial targets, including a stabilisation of core earnings and service revenue in Italy. In the nine months, service revenue at TIM's domestic operations fell 1.3% to 7.9 billion euros. TIM's net financial debt stood at 26.3 billion euros as of Sept. 30, marginally up from the end of the previous quarter.

Persons: Stefano Rellandini, Giorgia, Pietro Labriola, Elvira Pollina, Valentina Za Organizations: Telecom Italia, REUTERS, Vivendi, Italy's, KKR, TIM, Thomson Locations: Rozzano, Milan, Italy, TIM's

☆ Stock Market Today: Futures Edge Up to Start the Week
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +1 min

Stock futures crept higher early Monday, with investors eyeing bond yields for signals on whether a recent rally in equities can continue. Friday’s weaker-than-expected jobs report propelled the S&P 500 up 0.9% and helped the index notch its best weekly performance in about a year. In recent market action:Index futures nudged higher. Contracts linked to the S&P 500, Nasdaq-100 and the Dow industrials inched up by about 0.1% to 0.2%. Treasury yields rose slightly.

Persons: Tesla, Stocks, Brent Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow, KKR, Telecom Italia's, Telecom Italia Locations: Asia, Milan, Saudi Arabia, Russia

☆ Telecom Italia gives green light to KKR's grid bid, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Elvira Pollina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Telecom Italia (TIM) logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. The price tag can reach 22 billion euros when including some future payments were a long-awaited combination of TIM's grid with that of state-backed fibre optic rival Open Fiber materialise, the first two sources said. Italian infrastructure fund F2i is also preparing to take a stake in the grid to bring the holding in Italian hands to 30%-35%. With its 24% TIM stake, Vivendi has warned TIM's board it is ready to bring a legal challenge to the sale after criticising its approval process, documents seen by Reuters showed. ($1 = 0.9321 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina; Editing by Valentina ZaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Giorgia, Pietro Labriola's, Merlyn Advisors, Stefano Siragusa, Elvira Pollina, Valentina Za Organizations: Telecom Italia, REUTERS, Vivendi, Sunday, KKR, Reuters, TIM, Treasury, Thomson Locations: MILAN, London

☆ Telecom Italia approves KKR's $20 billion grid bid in blow for Vivendi
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Elvira Pollina | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Telecom Italia (TIM) logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. The board started a review of KKR's offer on Friday, approving it on Sunday, TIM said. The sale's 18.8 billion euro price tag, including debt, could reach 22 billion euros if certain conditions are met, TIM said. TIM said it would not put the board's decision to a shareholder vote, in a setback for leading shareholder VivendI (VIV.PA). Vivendi, which owns 24% of TIM, has been seeking a higher price and questioned the sustainability of the business left behind.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Giorgia, Pietro Labriola's, Labriola, Merlyn Advisors, Merlyn, Elvira Pollina, Valentina Za, Will Dunham Organizations: Telecom Italia, REUTERS, TIM, Vivendi, Sunday, KKR, European Union, Treasury, VivendI, Thomson Locations: Italy, MILAN, London

☆ Italy, Europe need state-controlled cloud services - Leonardo chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Italy and other European countries need government-controlled cloud services to store sensitive data, the head of Italian defence and electronics firm Leonardo (LDOF.MI) said on Wednesday, calling it "one of the key issues of our future". "In my opinion, a safe country needs a government cloud, at least for financial, health and defence data," Chief Executive Roberto Cingolani told a hearing at the defence committee of the Italian lower house of parliament. First of all creating a (national) government cloud. Then understanding that these (national) government clouds need to become European government clouds," he said. Leonardo, a listed company controlled by the Italian government, offers cloud services to the Italian state through a consortium including Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI), Italian state lender CDP and state-owned IT firm Sogei.

Persons: Leonardo, LDOF.MI, Roberto Cingolani, Cingolani, Alvise Armellini, Mike Harrison Organizations: Telecom Italia, Thomson Locations: Italy, Europe

☆ Italy backs calls for tech firms to help fund EU telecoms networks
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Italy broadly supports proposals at European Union level to ensure that Big Tech firms partly finance telecoms infrastructure in the bloc, Industry Minister Adolfo Urso said in a statement on Tuesday. "All market players benefiting from the digital transformation must contribute fairly and proportionately to infrastructure costs," Urso said, intervening at an EU telecoms minister meeting in Leon, Spain. However, before introducing any legislation, the EU must carefully assess whether and to what extent network infrastructure is effectively overloaded by content and services generated by Big Tech firms, Urso added. Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE), Orange (ORAN.PA), Telefonica (TEF.MC) and Telecom Italia (TIM) (TLIT.MI) term it fair-share funding, while Big Tech says it amounts to an internet tax. "Italy believes the EU Commission should carry out further assessment and more time is needed to evaluate the extent of the impact of traffic generated on the network infrastructure" Urso said.

Persons: Adolfo Urso, Urso, Thierry Breton, Giuseppe Fonte, Elvira Pollina, Keith Weir Organizations: European Union, Big Tech, Industry, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, France Telecom, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Italy, Leon, Spain, Orange

Europe's telecoms operators say Alphabet's Google (GOOGL.O), Meta's (META.O) Facebook, Netflix (NFLX.O), Microsoft (MSFT.O) and Amazon (AMZN.O) should bear some of the costs because they make up a huge part of internet traffic. Deutsche Telekom (DTEGn.DE), Orange (ORAN.PA), Telefonica (TEF.MC) and Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) call it fair-share funding while Big Tech says it amounts to an internet tax. The French commissioner, a former chief executive at France Telecom and supporter of the operators' push, faced blowback from some of his fellow commissioners and some EU countries. Breton will likely voice concerns about the recent acquisitions of telecoms stakes by sovereign investment funds and private equity firms to EU telecoms ministers at an Oct. 23-24 meeting in Leon, Spain, another person said. ($1 = 0.9418 euros)Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Mark PorterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thierry Breton, Breton, Foo Yun Chee, Tomasz Janowski, Mark Porter Organizations: Big Tech, European Commission, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Microsoft, Deutsche Telekom, Telefonica, Telecom Italia, France Telecom, EU, Thomson Locations: BRUSSELS, Europe, Orange, Leon, Spain

OneWeb, the British satellite giant, completed its combination with French rival Eutelsat Thursday, setting the stage for a European challenger to Elon Musk's space internet venture Starlink. It comes as competition is heating up between different players in the multibillion-dollar space industry. Likewise, OneWeb also targets enterprise customers, but offers a different service capability thanks to its LEO network – similar to SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet. Eutelsat will remain headquartered in Paris, and OneWeb will continue operating in London with its name changed to Eutelsat OneWeb. Commercial deals are gaining traction in the space industry, with Musk's Starlink service working alongside businesses including Spain's Telefonica and French firms Marlink and Speedcast.

Persons: Elon, Morgan Stanley, OneWeb, Starlink, Eutelsat, Eva Berneke, Neil Masterson, Masterson, Musk's Organizations: Telecom Italia, Deutsche Telekom, Euronext Paris Stock, London Stock Exchange, Eutelsat, CNBC, Spain's Telefonica, SpaceX, SES Locations: British, Orange, Paris, London

☆ Explainer: What's at stake in Telecom Italia grid deal?
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TIM is selling NetCo, a venture comprising both TIM's domestic fixed-access network and international wholesale telecoms operator Sparkle. TIM's landline network covers nearly 89% of the country's households and its fibre cable stretches over 23 million kilometres across the country. Beyond TIM's grid, a second major network is being rolled out by Open Fiber, a company controlled by CDP and Australian investment group Macquarie. There had long been talks of trying to combine TIM's network with Open Fiber but competition concerns have hampered such a deal so far. With its 24% voting stake, Vivendi could throw a spanner in the works at any TIM shareholder meeting to vote on a deal or challenge it in the courts.

Persons: Yara, Pietro Labriola's, Giorgia, Elvira Pollina, Keith Weir, Anil D'Silva Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Italian Treasury, Telecom Italia's, TIM, WHO, Vivendi, Treasury, Trade, Macquarie, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy

☆ KKR asks Telecom Italia to extend deadline for grid bid
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

The Tim logo is seen at its headquarters in Rome, Italy November 22, 2021. REUTERS/Yara Nardi Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Sept 22 (Reuters) - U.S. fund KKR (KKR.N) has asked Telecom Italia (TIM) to push back a Sept. 30 deadline to submit a multi-billion euro binding offer for the phone group's landline network until Oct.15, TIM said on Friday. TIM's board will review the request at a meeting on Sept. 27, the company said in a statement. The U.S. fund's preliminary bid valued the business -- dubbed NetCo -- at around 23 billion euros ($24.5 billion)including debt and taking into account a number of variables. ($1 = 0.9404 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina, editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Yara, TIM's, Giorgia, Elvira Pollina, Alvise Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Telecom Italia, TIM, Treasury, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, U.S

REUTERS/Yara Nardi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Sept 20 (Reuters) - U.S. fund KKR and Italy's Treasury are set to ask Telecom Italia (TIM) for more time to arrange a joint bid for its landline grid, three sources close to the matter said. KKR (KKR.N) last month won the backing of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, which authorised the Treasury to join its bid for an asset deemed of strategic national interest. The U.S. fund's preliminary bid valued the business -- dubbed NetCo -- at around 23 billion euros ($25 billion) including debt and taking into account a number of variables. The French group, which owns 24% of TIM, has so far shown little appetite for a deal under KKR's terms. The Treasury is evaluating the request, one of these people said, without adding further details.

Persons: Yara, Giorgia, Arnaud de Puyfontaine, Giancarlo Giorgetti, Elvira Pollina, Giuseppe Fonte, Alvise Armellini, Alexander Smith Organizations: REUTERS, KKR, Italy's Treasury, Telecom Italia, Treasury, TIM, NetCo, Reuters, Vivendi, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, U.S

A guest speaks on a mobile phone as she arrives for the French telecoms operator Iliad's media conference in Milan, Italy, May 29, 2018. REUTERS/Stefano Rellandini/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 30 (Reuters) - French telecom provider Iliad reported a more than 4% rise in half-year core profit on Wednesday, supported by gains across markets and the expansion of its activities in Italy. Telecommunications companies across Europe have been hit by rising energy prices, infrastructure costs to deploy fibre and 5G coverage, and a slowdown in subscriber growth. The group remains on the lookout for potential acquisitions in Italy after its 2022 Vodafone bid was rejected, he said. ($1 = 0.9204 euros)Reporting by Stéphanie Hamel and Victor Goury-Laffont in Gdansk; Editing by Milla NissiOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Stefano Rellandini, Thomas Raynaud, Raynaud, Stéphanie Hamel, Victor Goury, Milla Nissi Organizations: REUTERS, French, Orange, Telecommunications, Free Mobile, U.S, Telecom Italia's, Vodafone, Thomson Locations: Milan, Italy, France, Poland, Europe, Laffont, Gdansk

☆ Italy set to take over Telecom Italia's submarine cable unit -draft
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Telecom Italia (TIM) logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsMILAN, Aug 29 (Reuters) - Italy's Treasury can take full ownership of Telecom Italia's (TIM) (TLIT.MI) submarine cable unit Sparkle as part of an agreement with U.S. fund KKR (KKR.N) to jointly bid for the group's landline grid, a draft government decree showed on Tuesday. The cabinet on Monday approved two decrees providing for the Treasury to take a 15-20% stake in NetCo, a venture comprising both TIM's domestic fixed-access network and submarine cable unit Sparkle. It was valued at up to 1.2 billion euros in KKR's preliminary bid for NetCo, sources have said. The Treasury stake in Telecom Italia's grid would have the same property rights assigned to other shares, one of the decrees indicated.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, TIM's, Elvira Pollina, Giuseppe Fonte, Alvise Armellini, Jason Neely Organizations: Telecom Italia, REUTERS, Treasury, Telecom Italia's, U.S, KKR, Reuters, Telecom, Thomson Locations: NetCo, TIM's Milan

☆ Famed Italian dealmaker and Piaggio CEO Colaninno dies
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Crispian Balmer | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Roberto Colaninno attends the celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the Vespa Primavera scooter at the Piaggio Museum in Pontedera, Italy, April 19, 2018. REUTERS/ Alessandro Bianchi/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsROME, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Entrepreneur Roberto Colaninno, chairman and CEO of scooter maker Piaggio and one of Italy's best-known dealmakers, has died, his investment company IMMSI said on Saturday. He is most famous for his surprise $58 billion leveraged buyout of Telecom Italia (TLIT.MI) in 1999, at the time the world's largest hostile takeover. In 2003, after his efforts to take over carmaker Fiat were rebuffed, he turned his attention to Piaggio, maker of the Vespa scooter, which had fallen on hard times. Colaninno ditched the firm's loss-making computer unit and focused on the telephone business - which he subsequently used as a vehicle to launch the Telecom Italia bid.

Persons: Roberto Colaninno, Alessandro Bianchi, IMMSI, Colaninno, Carlo De Benedetti, De Benedetti, Olivetti, Matteo, Michele, Oretta, Crispian Balmer, David Holmes Organizations: Primavera, Piaggio Museum, REUTERS, Rights, Piaggio, Telecom Italia, Pirelli, Fiat, Alitalia, Thomson Locations: Pontedera, Italy, Asia, India, China, Vietnam, Fiamm, Europe

☆ Roberto Colaninno, CEO of scooter maker Piaggio, dies at 80
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Eva Rothenberg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —Roberto Colaninno, the CEO and chairman of vehicle manufacturer Piaggio, died on Friday. Colaninno’s investment firm, Immsi SpA, announced his death Saturday morning in a news release but did not provide additional details. Colaninno began his business career as the CEO of Italian auto parts maker Fiaam before establishing his own components manufacturer, Sogefi, in the early 1980s. Colaninno was forced to leave Telecom Italia in 2001, and his investors sold the company. But over the next few years, he acquired investment company Immsi SpA and Piaggo, which manufactures Vespa scooters.

Persons: New York CNN — Roberto Colaninno, Colaninno, Italy’s, Leonardo Organizations: New, New York CNN, Piaggio, Immsi SpA, Olivetti, Telecom Italia Locations: New York, Western, Piaggo, Vietnam, India

☆ Italy, KKR discussing terms of state investment into fixed line grid - sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Telecom Italia (TIM) logo is seen displayed in this illustration taken, May 3, 2022. The preliminary agreement could be signed as early as this week, one of the sources said, adding that discussions were still ongoing. The Treasury could join KKR in its preliminary 23 billion euro ($25 billion) bid for TIM's grid and secure a government stake in the venture that will own the network, alongside other potential state-backed investors, the sources said. Debt-laden TIM has granted KKR an exclusivity period until the end of September to negotiate a binding bid for Netco, a venture comprising both TIM's fixed domestic access grid and submarine cable unit Sparkle. ($1 = 0.9127 euros)Reporting by Elvira Pollina and Giuseppe Fonte; writing by Valentina Za; Editing by Alvise ArmelliniOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Elvira Pollina, Giuseppe Fonte, Valentina Za, Alvise Organizations: Telecom Italia, REUTERS, Treasury, KKR, Telecom Italia's, TIM, Netco, Thomson Locations: MILAN

☆ Telecom Italia's quarterly core profit rises as domestic revenues edge up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

which was above a company-provided analyst consensus of 1.3 billion euros. TIM's net financial debt rose to 26.1 billion euros ($28.57 billion) as of June 30 from 24.6 billion euros in the same period last year. The company confirmed its financial targets for 2023, including a stabilisation of service revenue and core earnings at the domestic level. The government has special vetting powers on any deal involving TIM's grid and wants to join KKR's bid to keep a strategic oversight on Italy's main telecommunications infrastructure. The grid sale has faced heavy reservations from TIM's top investor, Vivendi (VIV.PA), which is demanding a higher valuation to back a deal.

Persons: Yara, Pietro Labriola, Giorgia, Elvira Pollina, Urvi, Chris Reese, Leslie Adler Organizations: REUTERS, Telecom Italia, KKR, TIM, U.S, TIM's, Vivendi, Thomson Locations: Rome, Italy, Milan, Bengaluru

☆ ICICI Bank is dealmaking from a place of strength
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The $80 billion ICICI Bank (ICBK.NS) is weighing up a delisting of its broking firm ICICI Securities (ICCI.NS), the news prompted a 10% rally in the shares of the $2.4 billion unit. This time the country’s second largest private sector lender is dealmaking from a position of strength. It was one among a flurry of subsidiary IPOs that battered lenders including State Bank of India (SBI.NS) undertook to generate cash. ICICI Bank was particularly vulnerable, with then CEO Chanda Kochhar battling allegations of dodgy lending to the Videocon group. ICICI Securities trades at roughly 18 times trailing earnings but went public at more than twice that valuation, Centrum Broking calculated at the time.

Persons: Chanda Kochhar, Sandeep Bakhshi, Shritama Bose, Blackstone, Aston Martin, Una Galani, Thomas Shum Organizations: Reuters, ICICI Bank, ICICI Securities, State Bank of India, Twitter, Siemens, Telecom Italia, Vivendi, Thomson Locations: MUMBAI, Canada

☆ Aston Martin pulls out of slow lane in EV race
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, June 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Aston Martin Lagonda’s (AML.L) route to viability is a brain-teaser worthy of Q, James Bond’s quartermaster famous for turning everyday objects into whizzy tools. The 2.6 billion pound carmaker’s latest deal with $11 billion Lucid (LCID.O) shows the marque made famous by the fictional spy is, however, making progress. The deal with Lucid – majority-owned by the PIF, handily enough – will make Aston’s ambition to roll out its first electric vehicle by 2025 more credible. The deal sent Aston shares up over 9% in early Monday trading. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias.

Persons: Aston Martin Lagonda’s, Q, James Bond’s, Aston, Lawrence, –, Mercedes, Neil Unmack, George Hay, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Reuters, Jefferies, Public Investment Fund, Porsche, Mercedes, Benz, U.S, Aston, Twitter, Canada, Siemens, Telecom Italia, Vivendi, Thomson

☆ Blackstone deal is a bright spot in gloomy sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters Breakingviews) - The U.S. commercial real estate industry is mired in gloom, but some pockets are still sunny. The portfolio includes 14 million square feet of industrial properties in cities like Atlanta, Phoenix and Dallas, and the deal is premised in part on rising rents. According to the two companies, the net operating income generated by the warehouses is 4% of the acquisition price. Meanwhile, listed real estate investment trusts which own industrial warehouses trade at a narrowing discount to net asset value, according to S&P Global Market Intelligence. In a gloomy sector, so-called big boxes are a bright spot.

Persons: Steve Schwarzman, Avison Young, Jennifer Saba, Aston Martin, Peter Thal Larsen, Oliver Taslic Organizations: YORK, Reuters, U.S, P Global Market Intelligence, Twitter, Siemens, Telecom Italia, Vivendi, Thomson Locations: Atlanta, Phoenix, Dallas, Canada

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