Oslo: Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, which owns a stake of more than 2.5% in dei Paschi di Siena SpA, plans to back the Italian bank’s bid for competitor Mediobanca SpA at a crucial investor meeting next week.
Norges Bank Investment Management, a unit of the Norwegian central bank, will vote in favour of Monte Paschi’s proposal to issue the fresh shares it needs to finance the offer, according to the unit’s website.
The Norwegian fund joins the US fund Pacific Investment Management Co in supporting Monte Paschi chief executive officer Luigi Lovaglio, who’s seeking to clear a major hurdle in his surprise bid to take over Mediobanca.
Monte Paschi’s shareholders will convene on Thursday to vote on whether to authorise Lovaglio to issue new shares, a step that would give him the needed currency for the deal while diluting existing shareholders.
The Siena-based lender needs approval from two-thirds of shareholders attending the meeting to proceed.
Monte Paschi earlier this year surprised investors with an all-share bid to acquire Milan-based Mediobanca.
Mediobanca chief executive Alberto Nagel has rejected the effort as hostile, saying it lacks industrial and financial rationale and would destroy value.
Monte Paschi has said a combination of the two firms would benefit from complementary platforms in asset gathering, private banking, investment banking and insurance.
Some analysts have expressed doubts about Monte Paschi’s plan.
Analysts including KBW and Equita have issued notes citing a lack of synergy between the two entities, while Moody’s Ratings has highlighted the potential risks for Mediobanca’s future creditworthiness.
Proxy advisers have been mixed on the deal.
US investors Calvert, the New York City Comptroller and the Florida State Board of Administration, which each hold stakes below 0.1%, have indicated they’ll vote against the proposal.
The bank can count on the support of the Italian government – its largest investor – along with real estate and construction mogul Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone and the Del Vecchio family holding Delfin Sarl, Bloomberg News reported.
Those investors combined own about 30% of the bank’s share capital.
Caltagirone has increased its stake to more than 9% from 8%, the Italian newswire Ansa reported on Saturday. — Bloomberg
