Italy's Antitrust Regulator Probes Intesa Sanpaolo's Bid for Monte dei Paschi
Italy’s antitrust authority has initiated a formal review of Intesa Sanpaolo’s proposed €30.6 billion acquisition of Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS). The probe aims to assess whether the deal could harm competition in banking and insurance markets at both local and national levels. Earlier assessments indicated potential concerns across 20 provinces for deposits, 17 for small business lending, and up to 72 for household loans. The merger would also give Intesa a 13% stake in Generali, Italy’s largest insurer, raising additional competition issues due to overlapping operations in life insurance. The regulator is concerned about potential coordination between the two firms that could weaken competitive dynamics or lead to information sharing among rivals. In response, MPS has proposed alternative bids for Banco BPM and Banca Generali totaling €34 billion as a countermeasure.
