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☆ UniCredit to repay AT1 bond, says no need to issue more near term
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Investors' confidence in AT1 bonds has been rocked by a Swiss authorities' decision to wipe out $17 billion of Credit Suisse's CSGN.S AT1 debt under its takeover by UBS (UBSG.S), in a move that hit AT1 holders harder than shareholders. To do so, banks need approval from supervisors because such bonds, which are designed to help lenders withstand possible losses, count towards their capital buffers and banks would normally need to refinance them. A supervisory source told Reuters at the time that banks with strong capital ratios such as UniCredit did well to call AT1 bonds and prop up investor confidence. AT1 bonds were introduced in the wake of the global financial crisis to provide lenders with tools that could allow them to pass on losses to investors, shielding taxpayers. "UniCredit has limited need for TLAC/MREL fundingfor the remainder of this year and no need to issue AT1 instruments in the foreseeable future.

☆ Italian investor in UniCredit, Banco BPM sees 'strategic value' in deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-19 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Italy's No.2 bank UniCredit was preparing an offer for number three Banco BPM in 2022, before the Ukraine conflict forced CEO Andrea Orcel to focus on its Russia exposure. Orcel had looked to move on Banco BPM soon after becoming UniCredit CEO two years ago, but instead entered talks with the government over a possible Monte dei Paschi (BMPS.MI) acquisition that eventually fell through. Fondazione CRT holds 1.9% of UniCredit and 1.8% of Banco BPM. Twenty years later that gap is still there so the strategic value of the deal remains". Born from the merger of BPM with Verona-based Banco Popolare, Banco BPM controls 12% of Lombardy's banking market, twice UniCredit's market share.

☆ Norway wealth fund to vote in favour of UniCredit remuneration plan
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OSLO, March 26 (Reuters) - Norway's $1.3 trillion sovereign wealth fund, one of the world's largest investors, will vote in favour of the UniCredit (CRDI.MI) remuneration package, it said on Sunday. The Italian bank is due to hold its annual meeting of shareholders on March 31. Orcel's current pay package of up to 7.5 million euros ($8.06 million) a year makes the former head of investment banking at Swiss lender UBS (UBSG.S) one of Europe's best paid bank executives. The Norwegian fund owns 2.65% of UniCredit's shares, worth some $728 million, at the end of 2022, according to fund data. ($1 = 0.9301 euros)Reporting by Nora Buli, writing by Gwladys Fouche, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

A supervisory source told Reuters that redeeming AT1 bonds is a good way to instil confidence in markets if banks have enough capital, which the source said is the case for UniCredit. AT1 bonds are the riskiest type of debt banks can issue, ranking immediately after equity in the event of losses. The decision has disrupted the $275 billion AT1 bond market, which had already seen yields rise in the wake of recent U.S. banking failures. European rules require lenders to put in a request to supervisors to call an AT1 bond at least three months before the due date. AT1 bonds emerged in the wake of the global financial crisis as a way to build up bank capital and absorb losses.

Monte dei Paschi (MPS), which raised capital last year, needs to merge with a stronger rival to cement its turnaround. Banco BPM CEO Giuseppe Castagna, who faces pressure from shareholders to reject an MPS deal, has repeatedly said the Tuscan bank is too large for Banco BPM to integrate. A Banco BPM spokesperson said nothing had changed in this respect. HURDLESA Banco BPM and MPS tie-up would pose major hurdles, another three sources said separately. Banco BPM investors are also concerned about an expansion into regions of the country where economic growth is much weaker compared with the bank's wealthy home base in the north, one of the sources said.

☆ UniCredit may hike CEO's pay by up to 40% - newspaper
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Feb 25 (Reuters) - UniCredit is considering a pay rise of between 20% and 40% for Chief Executive Andrea Orcel, Italian daily Il Sole 24 Ore reported on Saturday, citing market sources. Orcel's pay package would rise to 9.0-10.5 million euros ($9.5-11.1 billion) from 7.5 million euros at present. On his arrival at UniCredit in April 2021, Orcel narrowly dodged a shareholder revolt over his pay, which is double that of his predecessor. Orcel has focused UniCredit on businesses that maximise returns in relation to the capital allocated to such activities, in order to boost investor rewards through dividends and share buybacks. ($1 = 0.9482 euros)Reporting by Valentina Za Editing by Mark PotterOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

[1/4] A Russian police officer stands in front of a branch of the Raiffeisen Bank in Moscow, Russia, February 27, 2016. It made a net profit of roughly 3.8 billion euros last year, thanks in large part to a 2 billion euro plus profit from its Russia business. Of UniCredit's more than 20 billion euro total revenue last year, Russia accounted for more than 1 billion euros. Meanwhile, Russian savers lodged more than 20 billion euros with the bank, which offers a place to deposit funds with fewer sanctions risks. It banned investors from so-called unfriendly countries from selling shares in banks, unless the Russian President grants an exemption.

☆ Snoop founder Gadhia quits UniCredit board after Moneyfarm chairmanship
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

MILAN, Feb 10 (Reuters) - Jayne-Anne Gadhia, founder of money managing application Snoop and former Virgin Money chief executive, has stepped down from the board of UniCredit (CRDI.MI) with immediate effect, the Italian bank said on Friday. Gadhia last month took on the chairmanship of digital wealth manager Moneyfarm, replacing co-founder Paolo Galvani to work alongside CEO and co-founder Giovanni Daprà. Gadhia was at the helm of Virgin Money, the digital bank of Britain's Virgin group, for more than a decade until its listing in 2018. UniCredit said Gadhia had decided to step down "due to a new commitment" and would remain as an adviser to the bank. Reporting by Valentina Za; Editing by Kirsten DonovanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Investors cheer after UniCredit lifts payout goal by 40%
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

However, the receding chances of a recession in the bloc as energy prices ease have boosted banking shares, with investors less wary of regulators hindering generous capital distribution plans. Shareholders, who have been promised more than 16 billion euros in dividends and buybacks by 2024, received 3.75 billion euros from 2021 earnings. Analysts calculate UniCredit could have at least 6 billion euros to spare after delivering on the 16 billion euro payout goal. STRONG PROFIT BEATUniCredit's net profit of 2.46 billion euros for the quarter to Dec. 31 was more than twice the 1.10 billion euros expected by analysts polled by the bank. The tax boost more than offset an increase in generic provisions against future loan losses, known as overlays, to 1.8 billion euros from 1.3 billion.

☆ UniCredit to assess CEO pay rise ahead of general meeting
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"The board examined Orcel's pay package in light of the important performance reached in 2021 under his leadership," the report said. "Orcel separately indicated ... he prefers to keep his fixed pay unchanged and have his variable pay closely linked to performance goals," it added. "The board agrees ... and will reassess Orcel's pay ahead of the 2023 general shareholder meeting in light of results and progress made in 2021 and 2022," it concluded. Annual pay of up to 7.5 million euros makes Orcel one of Europe's best paid bank executives, analysts say. The Financial Times first reported UniCredit sought a pay hike for Orcel citing people familiar with the matter.

☆ UniCredit to reassess CEO pay ahead of general meeting
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

MILAN, Dec 3 (Reuters) - UniCredit (CRDI.MI) will reassess the remuneration of CEO Andrea Orcel ahead of its 2023 general meeting to see if the results achieved by Italy's second-biggest bank in 2021-2022 warrant an increase, a document on its website showed. "The board examined Orcel's pay package in light of the important performance reached in 2021 under his leadership," the report said. "Orcel separately indicated ... he prefers to keep his fixed pay unchanged and have his variable pay closely linked to performance goals," it added. "The board agrees ... and will reassess Orcel's pay ahead of the 2023 general shareholder meeting in light of results and progress made in 2021 and 2022," it concluded. The Financial Times first reported UniCredit sought a pay hike for Orcel citing people familiar with the matter.

The European Central Bank (ECB), which supervises euro zone banks, believes some lenders have overly optimistic assumptions about the economy, based on models that cannot fully capture the damage from the current bout of inflation, the sources say. Source: S&P Global-EBAMorgan Stanley estimates euro zone banks will pay out 40 billion euros ($40 billion) in 2022 dividends plus an additional 60 billion euros in share buybacks between this year and next - an outsized return by recent standards. "It's not a good idea to pay out capital during a recession," Intesa's Chief Executive Carlo Messina told analysts last week. "With the economy entering recession, the time of massive bank payouts is over," Marco Troiano, a managing director at Scope Ratings, said. "Running down capital cushions would weaken banks."

☆ ECB, UniCredit clash over capital plans, Russia presence, FT says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 6 (Reuters) - The European Central Bank (ECB) has clashed with UniCredit (CRDI.MI) over the Italian lender's plans to return cash to shareholders and its failure to leave Russia, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The report further said that, there is also tension over UniCredit's failure to cut ties with Russia, as the ECB views the bank's Russian presence as an unwelcome source of risk and has been pushing it to exit the country. UniCredit last month said it expected a 400 million euro contribution from the ECB's longer-term funds this year under the central bank's new terms, while it no longer saw any potential benefits next year. The ECB and UniCredit did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment. ($1 = 1.0094 euros)Reporting by Jaiveer Singh Shekhawat in Bengaluru; Editing by Paul SimaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UniCredit ups 2022 profit goal after Q3 earnings beat
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MILAN, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Italy's No.2 bank UniCredit (CRDI.MI) on Wednesday raised its 2022 profit goal above 4.8 billion euros ($4.8 billion), helped by higher interest rates and lower loan loss provisions that also drove quarterly earnings above forecasts. UniCredit posted a profit for July-September of 1.71 billion euros, well above analysts' consensus forecast of 1.00 billion euros provided by the bank. UniCredit had already improved its 2022 guidance in July, indicating a net profit target of around 4 billion euros. Quarterly earnings were also boosted by much higher than expected trading income, which UniCredit said had been helped by companies' demand for hedging products. The erosion reflects a second share buyback UniCredit is carrying out as it hits a goal of returning 3.75 billion euros of last year's earnings to shareholders.

☆ Economist discusses UK economy and fiscal measures
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | 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 EmailJeremy Hunt's announcement on restoring macro stability doesn't change the growth outlook: EconomistDaniel Vernazza, UniCredit's chief international economist, discusses the country's recent economic turmoil, and how the reversal of Prime Minister Liz Truss' "mini-budget" is likely to affect its outlook.

☆ UniCredit focused on "internal delivery", open to M&A in all its markets
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoROME, Sept 21 (Reuters) - UniCredit (CRDI.MI) is focused on delivering targets set under its business plan, though it remains ready to seize M&A opportunities in all the markets where it operates, CEO Andrea Orcel said on Wednesday. read moreOrcel said he had not deviated from his standard message that M&A can provide a way to accelerate growth in all the markets where UniCredit is present if opportunities arise "at the right conditions." "We're a lot more focused on internal delivery," he said. "When I took this job, UniCredit's stance was 'no M&A' while I said that at the right conditions M&A can be an accelerator. This, together with the fact that I've done my fair share of M&A deals in the past, made everyone think we would do deals, that a financial tsunami was on the cards."

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