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☆ UniCredit's Orcel could still sweeten his bid and take on a double M&A offensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-12-06 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Divided between two takeover courtships, UniCredit's Andrea Orcel still has room to sweeten his bid for Italy's Banco BPM, analysts say, while political turmoil stalls a deal with Germany's Commerzbank . Until recently, the latter had been the subject of speculation as a potential merger partner for Germany's largest lender, Deutsche Bank. "There is scope for increasing the [Banco BPM] offer," Johann Scholtz, senior equity analyst and Morningstar, told CNBC. "Remember, that's the second attempt from Orcel to buy [Banco] BPM ... Orcel last month labeled Banco BPM as a "historical target" — stoking the flames of media reports that UniCredit had previously sought a domestic union back in 2022.

Persons: UniCredit's Andrea Orcel, Germany's Commerzbank, Orcel, Olaf Scholz's, — UniCredit, Giancarlo Giorgetti, UniCredit —, Johann Scholtz, Morningstar, Scholtz, Filippo Alloatti, Federated Hermes, UniCredit, Alloatti, Rome, Anima Organizations: Italy's Banco, ABN Amro, Deutsche Bank, Economy, Ansa, Banco, CNBC, Federated, Anima Holding Locations: Commerzbank, Monte dei, —

☆ Italian private equity fund FSI fund raised Anima stake to 9%
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MILAN, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Italian private equity fund Fondo Strategico Italiano (FSI) held 9% of Anima Holding as of Feb. 17, a regulatory filing showed on Tuesday, after beefing up an initial holding of just over 7% it built last week. Offering a premium of just 7.5% over the latest closing price, FSI reached only slightly more than its minimum target in the reverse ABB transaction. The filing showed FSI had then bought a further 1.7% stake on the market. Led by former Merrill Lynch banker Maurizio Tamagnini, FSI has not disclosed the reasons behind its investment in Anima. ($1 = 0.9376 euros)Reporting by Valentina Za, editing by Alvise Armellini and Keith WeirOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Italian fund buys stake in asset manager Anima in play on bank M&A
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-15 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The 109 million euro ($116 million) stakebuilding strengthens the grip of Italian investors on a company in which France's Amundi (AMUN.PA) - Europe's biggest asset manager - has also taken a stake. Amundi has a strong presence in Italy having spent 3.6 billion euros in 2017 to buy peer Pioneer from UniCredit (CRDI.MI). Formerly backed by the state and focused on promoting national champions, private equity fund Fondo Strategico Italiano (FSI) targeted a stake of up to 9%. Amundi acquired its Anima stake a month after Amundi's owner, French bank Credit Agricole (CAGR.PA), bought 9.2% of Banco BPM, becoming its single largest investor. Of Anima's 177 billion euros of assets under management, some 100 billion euros are invested in Italian government bonds.

☆ Financial investor buying up to 9% of Italian asset manager Anima
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Valentina Za | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An investor document seen by Reuters showed Mediobanca, which did not name the investor, was buying Anima shares through an accelerated reverse bookbuilding at 4.35 euros a share. At the top of the targeted range, the investment would total 135.7 million euros ($145.7 million) while the minimum stake would cost the buyer 105.7 million euros, Reuters calculations showed. The investor is Italian and is neither a bank nor an insurance firm, two people with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. Anima is Italy's biggest independent asset manager and has often been seen as a potential takeover target. Last year, French asset manager Amundi (AMUN.PA) emerged as the third-biggest investor in Anima with a 5.2% stake.

Up to 200 million euros of the capital will come from France's AXA (AXAF.PA), MPS' partner in an insurance joint-venture. Another 50 million euros are being guaranteed by London-based fund Algebris, whose founder Davide Serra is a close associate of Lovaglio. The state will put in 1.6 billion euros towards the capital raising, based on its 64% stake. Local banking foundations in Tuscany - charitable organisations overseen by Italy's Treasury - have already put in some 30 million euros. After its market value shrunk to just 256 million euros, MPS will sell the new shares with a discount of only 8.6% over Wednesday's closing price stripped of subscription rights.

Another 50 million euros are being guaranteed by London-based fund Algebris, whose founder Davide Serra is a close associate of Lovaglio. The state will put in 1.6 billion euros towards the capital raising, based on its 64% stake. If MPS gathers less than the maximum 2.5 billion euros, the state's contribution will be proportionally reduced so as not to exceed 64% of the total. At least 100 million euros will come from France's AXA (AXAF.PA), MPS' partner in an insurance joint-venture. After its market value shrunk to just 256 million euros, MPS will sell the new shares with a discount of just 8.6% over Wednesday's closing price stripped of subscription rights.

By late on Wednesday six banks, including global coordinators Bank of America (BAC.N), Citigroup (C.N), Credit Suisse (CSGN.S) and Mediobanca (MDBI.MI), had signed the guarantee contract, the sources said. Five years after an 8.2 billion euro ($8 billion) bailout that handed the state its 64% stake, MPS plans to raise the extra cash to lay off staff and bolster capital. The eight banks due to underwrite the MPS issue are willing to backstop only a third of the 900 million euro private portion of the capital raising, one of the sources said. MPS CEO Luigi Lovaglio had until recently not produced the written commitments, triggering a race in the last few days to get all the necessary documents signed. The Tuscan bank has so far secured support from its insurance partner AXA (AXAF.PA), local banking foundations and asset manager Anima Holding (ANIM.MI).

Five years after an 8.2 billion euro ($8 billion) bailout that handed the state its 64% stake, MPS plans to raise the extra cash to lay off staff and bolster capital. They have demanded written commitments from investors for an amount roughly equivalent to half the overall figure, accepting pledges which are not in writing for the rest to get to two thirds of the total, the source added. MPS CEO Luigi Lovaglio had until recently not produced the written commitments, triggering a race in the last few days to get all the necessary documents signed. MPS and the banks expect to be able to get to a deal on the underwriting contract later on Wednesday, although sources had previously not ruled out preparations taking until Thursday. A January 2030 bond yielded 41.42% after spiking to 45.44% from 39.95% at closing on Tuesday.

MPS (BMPS.MI) had scheduled a board meeting on Tuesday to set the terms of an up to 2.5 billion euros ($2.4 billion) share issue, the Tuscan bank's seventh in 14 years after an 8.2 billion euro bailout in 2017. Rocky markets and the size of the cash call, equivalent to more than 10 times MPS' current market value, have complicated talks over the share sale. The banks have long seen it as too risky to bring to the market without a pre-committed core of investors. The new shares will value MPS above healthier peers, exposing underwriters to likely losses on any shares left on their books, bankers and analysts say. On Tuesday, a source with knowledge of the matter told Reuters that MPS had secured some 30 million euros ($29 million) from local not-for-profit banking foundations in its home region.

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