DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ UniCredit boosts its stake in Commerzbank, applies to own up to 29.9% of the German bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-23 | by ( April Roach | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

UniCredit announced on Monday it had increased its stake in German lender Commerzbank to around 21% and submitted a request to boost the holding to up to 29.9%. The Italian bank acquired the additional Commerzbank shares through financial instruments, it said in a Monday statement. Earlier this month, UniCredit announced it had taken a 9% stake in Commerzbank, confirming that half of this shareholding was acquired from the German government. However, as was the case for UniCredit, such potential requires action for it to be crystalized," the bank said on Monday. Commerzbank shares were down 0.4% by 11:50 a.m. London time, while UniCredit shares fell 2.3%.

Persons: UniCredit, Commerzbank, Berlin Organizations: Federal Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Commerzbank, London

☆ Germany won't sell more Commerzbank shares for now, finance agency says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Germany will not sell any more shares in Commerzbank for the time being and the bank's strategy is "geared towards independence," the nation's finance agency said on Friday. The statement comes days after the Italian bank UniCredit announced it had bought a 9% stake in Commerzbank - from the German government as well as on the open market - and its chief executive said he wanted to explore a merger. The agency announced that at a meeting on Friday it decided it "will not, until further notice, sell any additional shares".

Organizations: UniCredit Locations: Germany, Commerzbank

☆ What buying Commerzbank would mean for UniCredit — and the banking sector
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-19 | by ( April Roach | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Last week, UniCredit announced it had taken a 9% stake in Commerzbank, confirming that half of this shareholding was acquired from the government. Commerzbank shares jumped 20% on the day UniCredit's stake was announced. A cross-border styled merger between UniCredit and Commerzbank would be more preferential than a domestic merger between Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank, according to Reint Gropp, president of the Hall Institute for Economic Research. "The German banking structure is long overdue for a consolidation process. The German bank also has less excess capital than UniCredit and therefore "cannot really afford" a takeover, Alloatti said.

Persons: Kirill Kudryavtsev, UniCredit, Andrea Orcel, Commerzbank, Orcel, Ignacio Cerezo, Berenberg, David Benamou, Benamou, CNBC's, Arnaud Journois, Journois, Emmanuel Macron, Reint Gropp, Gropp, Filippo Alloatti, Hermes, Alloatti, We've Organizations: Afp, Getty, Bloomberg, Reuters, UniCredit, Wednesday, UBS, Investments, European, Morningstar, Commerzbank, Analysts, CNBC, Deutsche Bank, Hall Institute for Economic Research, Will Deutsche Bank, ABN Amro Locations: Frankfurt, Germany, Commerzbank, Berlin, Italian, U.S, Europe, UniCredit, Italy

☆ UniCredit's bid for Commerzbank is next 'logical step' for the bank's strategy, analyst says
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUniCredit's bid for Commerzbank is next 'logical step' for the bank's strategy, analyst saysArnaud Journois, senior vice president of European Financial Institution Ratings at Morningstar DBRS, says there is "double logic" behind UniCredit's bid for Commerzbank as the Italian lender seeks to grow its business.

Persons: Arnaud Journois, Morningstar DBRS Organizations: Commerzbank, European, Morningstar

☆ ECB has no grounds to block UniCredit's higher Commerzbank stake: Federated Hermes
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailECB has no grounds to block UniCredit's higher Commerzbank stake: Federated HermesFilippo Alloatti, head of financials in the credit team at Federated Hermes, discusses Italian bank UniCredit's request to raise its stake in Commerzbank.

Persons: Hermes Filippo Alloatti Organizations: ECB, Federated Hermes Locations: Commerzbank

☆ UniCredit's Andrea Orcel plays a bold hand, with Commerzbank in his sights
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-12 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

UniCredit 's CEO Andrea Orcel revealed his hand this week as the Italian lender built a 9% stake in Commerzbank — and a takeover bid for the German rival could still be in the cards. UniCredit faces a number of hurdles before increasing its stake after filing a request to "potentially exceed 9.9% of Commerzbank if and when necessary." Commerzbank shares soared on Wednesday when news of UniCredit's position was announced, and compounded gains on Thursday following speculation of an imminent takeover. Whispers cooled in January, however, when Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing said that merger and acquisition activity was not a priority for the group at the time. A UniCredit takeover of Commerzbank would emerge as a rare, if long-awaited, instance of consolidation among Europe's banking titans.

Persons: UniCredit, Andrea Orcel, Orcel, it's, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing Organizations: Bloomberg, HypoVereinsbank, Alpha Bank, Hellenic Financial Stability, Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian, Commerzbank, titans Locations: Commerzbank, Germany, Munich

☆ Commerzbank shares jump 17% after UniCredit buys 4.5% stake from the German government
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Commerzbank shares jumped on market open on Wednesday, after Italian bank UniCredit acquired a 4.5% stake in the Frankfurt-based lender from the German government. Commerzbank stock was up 17.5% at 9:37 a.m. London time. The stake acquisition marks the first step in Berlin's exit from its position in the German lender. The German government said it had sold around 53.1 million shares — or a roughly 4.49% tranche out of its 16.49% total shareholding — in Commerzbank for roughly 702 million euros ($775 million) to UniCredit. Also on Wednesday, the German lender said Commerzbank chief Manfred Knof will fulfil but not seek to renew his term after the end of his contract in December 2025.

Persons: Commerzbank, Eva Grunwald, UniCredit, Manfred Knof Organizations: UniCredit, Bank, CNBC Locations: Frankfurt, London, Commerzbank, Berlin, Milan

☆ UniCredit CEO: EU General Court ruling on Russia exit will be a 'win-win' either way
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUniCredit CEO: EU General Court ruling on Russia exit will be a 'win-win' either wayAndrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit, speaks to CNBC's Silvia Amaro after the bank's second-quarter earnings release.

Persons: Andrea Orcel, CNBC's Silvia Amaro Organizations: EU, UniCredit Locations: Russia

☆ UniCredit tops profit forecast, buys cloud-based bank
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Italian bank UniCredit on Wednesday posted better-than-expected second quarter profit and said it was buying a Belgian digital bank with its own cloud-based IT platform for 370 million euros ($401 million). UniCredit said the purchase of Belgian bank Aion and its cloud-based core banking system Vodeno would add a team of 200 engineers, developers and data scientists. To address this, UniCredit's rival Intesa Sanpaolo for example is partnering with British cloud banking technology provider ThoughtMachine. "The transaction represents one of the first moves by a bank to acquire full ownership of a new technology (without any dependencies from third party core banking providers)," UniCredit said. Net profit in the second quarter rose 5% from the previous three months to 2.7 billion euros, surpassing a 2.4 billion euro average forecast from analysts polled by the bank as revenues held up better than anticipated.

Persons: Andrea Orcel, UniCredit, Banks, Intesa Sanpaolo Organizations: UniCredit, UBS, Banco, Belgian Locations: Belgian, Aion

☆ European markets to open lower as investors weigh regional bank and U.S. tech earnings
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Sophie Kiderlin | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON — European markets are set to open lower on Wednesday as earnings season ramps up. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 was last expected to open 25 points lower at 8,137, while Germany's DAX was set to shed 76 points to 18,472 and France's CAC 40 was expected to open 54 points lower at 7,540. Italy's MIB index was set to to open 62 points lower at 34,799. Deutsche Bank , UniCredit, BNP Paribas and Banco Santander are among the European banks reporting earnings on Wednesday, alongside Easyjet , Iberdrola and Orange. On the data front, flash purchasing managers' index data is due to be released in the U.K. and the euro zone.

Persons: Germany's DAX, Easyjet Organizations: Citigroup Inc, State Street Corp, Barclays Plc, HSBC Holdings Plc, CAC, Deutsche Bank, BNP, Banco Santander Locations: Wharf, UniCredit, Iberdrola, Orange, Germany

☆ Deutsche Bank snaps 15-quarter profit streak on Postbank lawsuit provision
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-24 | by ( Jenni Reid | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Deutsche Bank AG is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt. Deutsche Bank on Wednesday snapped a 15-quarter profit streak with a narrower-than-expected loss, as it made a provision for an ongoing lawsuit over its Postbank division. The long-running lawsuit by investors alleges Deutsche Bank underpaid to take over the retail banking giant in 2010. Other highlights included:Profit before tax excluding the Postbank provision was 1.7 billion euros, up from 1.4 billion euros in the second quarter of 2023. Provision for credit losses was 476 million euros, up from 401 million euros a year ago.

Persons: Deutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing, James von Moltke, CNBC's Caroline Roth, that's, Von Moltke, we'd, Italy's Organizations: Deutsche Bank, United Kingdom . Deutsche Bank AG, Deutsche Bank CEO Christian, Spain's Santander Locations: City of London, London, United Kingdom, German, Frankfurt

Stock price information reflected on a window at the Euronext NV stock exchange in Paris, France, on Monday, March 13, 2023. European markets closed lower Tuesday, as positive momentum from the past few days faltered. The pan-European Stoxx 600 provisionally closed 0.5% lower, with all major bourses and most sectors in the red. Mining stocks stocks lost 2.3% while health-care stocks were the biggest gainer, adding 0.8%. Banking stocks shed 2.1%, with Italy's UniCredit losing more than 4%, as investors looked ahead to the European Central Bank's latest interest rate decision later this week.

Persons: Italy's UniCredit Organizations: Banking, Central, Maersk, ECB Locations: Paris, France, Danish

☆ Profits of these 5 global banks will stay high despite an ECB rate cut, says Berenberg
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Despite an interest rate cut expected this week, profits at a handful of major European banks will remain robust, according to Berenberg. The European Central Bank appears on course to cut interest rates this week, the first reduction since 2019, despite a higher-than-expected inflation print . However, European banks underperformed their global peers over the past decade as the European Central Bank kept interest rates below or near zero until 2022. The investment bank's analyst also pointed out that European banks are currently trading at a 20% discount to their long-run average valuation despite improvements in their balance sheets and returns. According to Berenberg, historical data shows that European banks only traded below current valuations for 6% of the time between 1988 and 2020.

Persons: Banks, Peter Richardson, Richardson, Berenberg Organizations: European Central Bank, Chartered, Barclays, Nordea Bank, UniCredit, HSBC —, Bank Locations: U.S

☆ European banks in Russia face 'awful lot of risk', Yellen says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-25 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Kent Nishimura | Getty ImagesU.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen told Reuters that European banks face growing risks operating in Russia and the U.S. is looking at strengthening its secondary sanctions on banks found to be aiding transactions for Russia's war effort. "We are looking at potentially a tougher stepping-up of our sanctions on banks that do business in Russia," Yellen told Reuters in an interview, declining to provide specifics and not identifying any banks at which they could be aimed. Speaking on the sidelines of a G7 finance leaders meeting in northern Italy, Yellen said that sanctions related to banks' dealings in Russia would only be imposed "if there was a reason to do so, but operating in Russia creates an awful lot of risk," she added. European Central Bank policymaker Fabio Panetta had clear instructions for Italian banks on Saturday telling reporters that lenders must "get out" of Russia because staying in the country brings a "reputational problem." Raiffeisen is the largest European lender doing business in Russia, followed by UniCredit.

Persons: Janet Yellen, Kent Nishimura, Yellen, Central Bank policymaker Fabio Panetta, Joe Biden's Organizations: Treasury Department, Getty, Treasury, Reuters, Bank International, Central Bank, UniCredit, United Arab Locations: Washington , DC, Russia, U.S, Italy, Ukraine, China, United Arab Emirates, Turkey

☆ UniCredit raises investor reward goal after profit tops forecast
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The logo of Italian international banking group UniCredit stands on the facade of the group headquarters, located in the Porta Nuova district, as seen from the viewpoint of Palazzo Lombardia on September 29, 2023 in Milan, Italy. UniCredit raised on Tuesday its investor reward guidance for the year, after posting a much higher net income than expected and further boosting capital levels. Italy's second biggest bank said net profit for the January-March period was 2.6 billion euros ($2.8 billion), above the average of 2.13 billion forecast in a company-compiled analyst consensus. In the full year, net income is expected to be above 8.5 billion euros, it said, having previously guided for a 2024 net profit "broadly in line" with a 2023 result of 8.6 billion net of a tax asset writeup. UniCredit said it was raising its distribution guidance for 2024 to stand in line with 2023, when it paid out net profit to shareholders in full.

Persons: UniCredit, Andrea Orcel Organizations: UBS Locations: Porta Nuova, Lombardia, Milan, Italy, UniCredit

☆ UniCredit CEO: We are getting more confident on what profit we can get this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUniCredit CEO: We are getting more confident on what profit we can get this yearAndrea Orcel, the CEO of UniCredit, speaks to CNBC's Charlotte Reed following the company's results.

Persons: Andrea Orcel, CNBC's Charlotte Reed Organizations: UniCredit

☆ European stocks set to open higher, reflecting wider optimism in global markets
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

European markets are heading for a positive start to trading Tuesday as traders look ahead to a busy day of earnings reports in the region. BP, S4 Capital, Siemens Healthineers, Deutsche Post, Infineon, Bouygues, UBS, Adecco, Banco de Sabadell and Unicredit are among the companies reporting earnings Tuesday. Overnight, U.S. stock futures flickered near the flatline Monday evening after the Dow Jones Industrial Average wrapped its fourth positive day in a row. Asia-Pacific markets climbed overnight, extending gains from the previous session and buoyed by gains on Wall Street.

Organizations: S4 Capital, Siemens Healthineers, Deutsche Post, Infineon, Bouygues, UBS, Adecco, Banco de Sabadell, Dow Jones Locations: Asia, Pacific

☆ Only 2 stocks in Europe have beaten estimates for 5 quarters and rallied each time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Only two European stocks have positively surprised markets every quarter for the past five quarters, according to analysis by CNBC Pro. CNBC Pro screened for stocks that report EPS figures and have analysts' estimates available on FactSet. Most recently, on Feb. 5, the company beat earnings estimates by 6.1% and shares rallied more than 8% in the following session. Four quarters ago, the stock rallied by 12.8% in a single session following earnings. Many banking stocks, such as France's Societe Generale , Spain's Banco de Sabadell , Germany's Commerzbank and Sweden's Swedbank , beat earnings-per-share estimates over the past five quarters.

Persons: UniCredit, Germany's, Sweden's Organizations: CNBC Pro, Portugal's Banco Comercial Portugues, Generale, Spain's, Sabadell, Deutsche Bank, CNBC Locations: Europe, Milan

☆ Europe is having its worst earnings season since the onset of Covid — with little hope of a quick turnaround
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Silvia Amaro | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

As of Feb. 29 with 313 companies having reported, 50.2% posted a beat, according to a CNBC analysis of FactSet data. This was the smallest percentage of beats — thus the worst earnings season — since the first quarter of 2020 when the pandemic first hit European firms. Share buyback bonanzaSharon Bell, a senior European strategist at Goldman Sachs, told CNBC that she had noticed a new trend for European corporates during this earnings season. "What you have seen is a lot of companies announcing buybacks," she told CNBC's "Squawk Box Europe" Tuesday. "It is absolutely huge, you've never really seen this before in 20, 30 years, European companies pay dividends, they don't do buybacks," she said.

Persons: —, Edward Stanford, Philippe Ferreira, Kepler Cheuvreux, Sharon Bell, Goldman Sachs, CNBC's, you've, Bell, Ferreira Organizations: CNBC, HSBC, L'Oreal, European Central Bank, Shell, Deutsche Bank, Novo Nordisk, UBS Locations: Triomphe, France, Europe, China, Ukraine, European

☆ 'This stock could double': Fund manager loads up on shares of two banks amid the volatility
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Ganesh Rao | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

There are opportunities in the banking sector despite a rise in volatility and concern over steep losses at some lenders, according to fund manager Cole Smead. The stock makes up 1.36% of the Smead Value Fund . He believes UniCredit's share buybacks while the shares trade below book value will drive book value growth higher than the current 8% return on equity. "When you buy back shares below book, there is a multiplier effect on book value growth," Smead explained. The fund manager expects UniCredit will trade above book value over the next 12-18 months and use its stock to pursue further acquisitions.

Persons: Cole Smead, Switzerland's, Julius Baer, Smead, CNBC's, RoE, UniCredit Organizations: Smead Capital, Western Alliance Bank, KBW, New York Community Bancorp, Investors, Western Alliance Bank's, CNBC Pro Locations: Europe, U.S

☆ UniCredit CEO: Strategy on Russia is unchanged, continuing to scale down business
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUniCredit CEO: Strategy on Russia is unchanged, continuing to scale down businessAndrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit, discusses the Italian lender's strategy on M&A versus value generation, gives an update on business in Russia, and outlines the impacts of Italy's capital markets bill.

Persons: Andrea Orcel Locations: Russia, Italian

☆ UniCredit vows to match 2023 income this year after beating forecast
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

UniCredit on Monday pledged to match in 2024 the previous year's result despite the negative economic backdrop, as it posted a much higher than expected 2023 profit and said it would return it all to shareholders. Net income in the October-December period came in at 2.8 billion euros, more than double a 1.2 billion euro ($1.3 billion) average analyst consensus forecast provided by the bank. Revenues surpassed expectations, while UniCredit booked lower than forecast costs and provisions against loan losses. The lender said it would pay out to investors 8.6 billion euros in share buybacks and dividends out of its 2023 earnings, which is 100% of its underlying profit. It will then adopt a 90% payout policy from this year, raising slightly the cash part, it added.

Persons: UniCredit

☆ Shares of Italy's UniCredit jump 10% and hit eight-year high on earnings beat
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

A logo on the UniCredit SpA headquarters in Milan, Italy, on Saturday Jan. 22, 2022. Shares of Italian bank UniCredit hit their highest level since 2015 on Monday, after announcing that it would return 8.6 billion euros ($9.2 billion) to investors on the back of higher-than-expected profits. The Milan-based bank shared details of the planned payout after reporting fourth-quarter profits of 1.9 billion euros, almost three times analysts' expectations. Shares of the stock were up 10% by 11 a.m. London time. The payout, which will be delivered through a combination of buybacks and dividends, follows a strong year for the bank, which has been buoyed by higher interest rates.

Locations: Milan, Italy, London

☆ Bank's net interest income to be 'squeezed more and more,' Opimas CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailBank's net interest income to be 'squeezed more and more,' Opimas CEO saysOctavio Marenzi, CEO at Opimas, weighs in on UniCredit's latest earnings report and the outlook for the European banking sector.

Persons: Octavio Marenzi

☆ UniCredit CEO: Expect rate cuts in second half of 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailUniCredit CEO: Expect rate cuts in second half of 2024Andrea Orcel, CEO of UniCredit, discusses the Italian lender's earnings as Q4 net profit comes in at more than double expectations. Orcel weighs in on his expectations for rate cuts, the bank's strategy against geopolitical uncertainty, and plans for shareholder returns.

Persons: Andrea Orcel

Search resuls for: "Unicredit"

25 mentions found