Finance
Italian lender BPER secures nearly 36% stake in Pop Sondrio
Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on July 10, 2025
1 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Quick Summary
BPER Banca has acquired nearly 36% of Banca Popolare di Sondrio, enhancing its control in the Italian banking sector amid a wave of financial mergers.
BPER Banca Acquires Nearly 36% Stake in Banca Popolare di Sondrio
MILAN (Reuters) -Italy's fourth-largest lender, BPER Banca, said on Thursday it has secured almost 36% of Banca Popolare di Sondrio (BPSO) under its buyout offer, a stake it considers sufficient to secure control of its smaller rival.
In February, BPER launched an all-share takeover bid for BPSO as deal-making picked up in the Italian financial sector. Last week, the bank sweetened its offer by adding a cash component of 1.00 euro ($1.17) per BPSO share, valuing BPSO at 5.44 billion euros.
Borsa Italiana data earlier in the day showed that take-up had reached 35.96% of Banca Popolare di Sondrio's share capital.
The acceptance period for the offer ends on Friday, BPER said. The bid highlights the frenzied pace of bids and offers in Italy's banking sector over the last year.
BPER has a market capitalization of about 10.8 billion euros, more than double Popolare di Sondrio's 5.36 billion euros, according to LSEG data.
($1 = 0.8554 euros)
(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro and Gursimran Kaur, editing by Gavin Jones and Richard Chang)
Key Takeaways
- •BPER Banca acquires nearly 36% of Banca Popolare di Sondrio.
- •The acquisition is part of a larger takeover bid.
- •BPER sweetened the offer with a cash component.
- •The bid highlights active deal-making in Italy's banking sector.
- •BPER's market cap is more than double that of Pop Sondrio.
Frequently Asked Questions about Italian lender BPER secures nearly 36% stake in Pop Sondrio
1What percentage of Banca Popolare di Sondrio did BPER acquire?
BPER Banca secured almost 36% of Banca Popolare di Sondrio under its buyout offer.
2What was the cash component added to BPER's offer?
BPER sweetened its offer by adding a cash component of 1.00 euro.
3When does the acceptance period for the offer end?
The acceptance period for the offer ends on Friday, as stated by BPER.
4How does BPER's market capitalization compare to BPSO's?
BPER has a market capitalization of about 10.8 billion euros, which is more than double that of Popolare di Sondrio's 5.36 billion euros.
5What trend does this bid highlight in the Italian banking sector?
The bid highlights the frenzied pace of bids and offers in Italy's banking sector over the last year.
