While Crédit Agricole’s move to bulk up suggests UniCredit has a tougher negotiation on its hands, there may be a silver lining too
French lender’s stake-building comes in wake of €10.1bn takeover offer from Andrea Orcel’s bank
Andrea Orcel’s move has frustrated Giorgia Meloni’s plan to merge state-backed Monte dei Paschi di Siena with BPM
Italy’s third-largest bank says value of offer is ‘completely unusual’ and fails to reflect its prospects
Plus, Northvolt’s bankruptcy leads to investor losses and Blackstone teams up with energy giant in new financing deal
Two months ago UniCredit swooped on Germany’s Commerzbank. Now the dealmaker is bidding for Banco BPM
Bid for domestic competitor hits shares in Germany’s Commerzbank, which had been viewed as a target
Lowball offer for BPM is unlikely to succeed but gives UniCredit’s chief room for manoeuvre
Chief of Italian lender indicates longer than expected timeline for decision on tie-up between banks
Italy’s UniCredit pursues a stake in Germany’s Commerzbank
In contrast to Berlin’s stiff opposition, many family-owned businesses are pragmatic about a bid by UniCredit
Italian lender sidestepped bank ownership rules to build 21% position in German rival
Bloc’s officials say opposition to UniCredit’s move on German lender at odds with Berlin’s pro-EU stance
Banks getting bigger may be attractive, but there are significant drawbacks — especially for the taxpayer
The controversial move on Commerzbank would be the first big cross-border deal in Europe since the financial crisis
German lender lays out standalone case as it lifts growth and profit targets
String of recent megadeals includes $36bn acquisition by Mars and $20bn takeover by Verizon
Support for open-minded talks with Italian bank comes despite hardening political opposition to potential takeover
Current chief financial officer is sceptical about case for combining Italian and German lenders
UniCredit chief faces stiff opposition from German government and irritation within the ECB
Plus, Murdoch vies for property listings group Rightmove and a private equity continuation fund’s collapse shows the vehicles’ pitfalls
Italian lender raised its stake in German rival from about 9% to 21%
Blocking a richly priced offer purely on ideological grounds could be tricky
Italian lender raised its stake in German rival from about 9 per cent to 21 per cent through derivatives
After advising on the disastrous break-up of ABN Amro, the banker appears to be positioning UniCredit for a takeover of its German rival
