Banco BPM to be Acquired by UniCredit for $10.5 Billion
- On Monday, Banco BPM was offered to be acquired by UniCredit for approximately 10 billion euros ($10.5 billion).
- If the deal is completed, two of Italy's largest lenders will merge.
- Following a series of banking M&A activity in Europe, UniCredit raised its stake in Commerzbank to approximately 21% in September and submitted a proposal to increase the holding to a maximum of 29.9%.
On Monday, UniCredit, an Italian lender, announced its intention to acquire its domestic competitor for approximately 10 billion euros ($10.5 billion), a move that the bank claims is independent of its pursuit of a German bank.
If the deal is completed, two of Italy's largest lenders will merge. UniCredit announced on Monday that it is offering a slight premium of 6.657 euros per share, compared to Friday's close price of 6.644 euros.
The acquisition, a stock deal, will enhance UniCredit's position as a prominent European banking institution.
This summer, the European banking sector has seen a flurry of merger and acquisition announcements, with UniCredit often cited as a possible acquirer due to its cash-rich status. Monday's news follows this trend.
In September, UniCredit increased its stake in German lender Commerzbank to approximately 21% and submitted a request to increase its holding to up to 29.9%. Prior to that, in the same month, UniCredit had acquired a 9% stake in Commerzbank, with half of this shareholding coming from the German government.
The German government has not approved the potential union, as Chancellor Olaf Scholz stated in late-September that "unfriendly attacks and hostile takeovers are not good for banks," according to Reuters.
The Berlin administration, the largest shareholder of Commerzbank, retained a 12% stake after rescuing the lender during the 2008 financial crisis and divesting 4.5% of its initial position in early September.
—CNBC's April Roach and Ruxandra Iordache contributed to this article.
This tale has been revised to accurately depict Banco BPM.
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