Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on February 17, 2026
2 min readLast updated: February 17, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleMonte dei Paschi plans to delist Mediobanca, taking full control and merging it into the group. The strategic plan will be unveiled on February 27.
MILAN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Monte dei Paschi di Siena (MPS) will take full control of Mediobanca and delist it while preserving its brand, ending weeks of uncertainty over the future of the merchant bank.
MPS, which was bailed out by the state in 2017 and reprivatised in 2023-2024, last year acquired 86% of Mediobanca, raising question marks over whether it made sense to leave Mediobanca listed with such reduced floating capital.
The plans had created division within the company, with directors led by representatives of investor Francesco Gaetano Caltagirone opposing full integration of Mediobanca.
In presenting full-year results last week, MPS Chief Executive Luigi Lovaglio said the decision whether to delist Mediobanca was pending but MPS was working to maximise savings from the tie-up.
MPS said on Tuesday that the board had decided to proceed with the delisting, without clarifying how the bank will acquire the 14% stake it does not already own.
It will then merge Mediobanca into the group and set up an unlisted entity to house its private and investment banking activities under the Mediobanca brand.
The new entity will also hold the 13% stake that makes Mediobanca the largest investor in Italian insurer Generali.
MPS is due to unveil a strategic plan for the combined group on February 27.
(Reporting by Valentina ZaEditing by David Goodman)
An acquisition is a corporate action where one company purchases most or all of another company's shares to gain control of that company.
Delisting is the removal of a company's stock from a stock exchange, often due to a merger, acquisition, or failure to meet listing requirements.
A merger is a strategic decision where two companies combine to form a new entity, often to enhance market share and efficiency.
A stake in a company refers to the ownership interest held by an individual or entity, typically represented by shares.
A strategic plan outlines an organization's goals and the actions needed to achieve them, guiding decision-making and resource allocation.
Explore more articles in the Finance category
