Banco BPM explained

Banco BPM S.p.A.
Type:Società per azioni
Num Locations:2,320 domestic branches, excluding foreign subsidiaries and representative offices
Num Locations Year:2017
Industry:Financial services
Revenue: €4.293 billion
Revenue Year:2019
Operating Income: €1.689 billion
Income Year:2019
Net Income: €797 million
Net Income Year:2019
Assets: €183.685 billion
Assets Year:end 2020
Equity: €11.861 billion
Equity Year:end 2019
Ratio: 13.3% (Group CET1, end 2019)
Footnotes:in consolidated financial statement[1]

Banco BPM S.p.A. is an Italian bank that started to operate on 1 January 2017, by the merger (approved by the board of directors on 24 May 2016) of Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM). The bank is the third largest retail and corporate banking conglomerate in Italy (in terms of total assets in 2016), behind Intesa Sanpaolo and UniCredit. The bank had dual headquarters in Verona and Milan respectively.

The shares of the bank is a constituent of Italian blue chip index FTSE MIB; in 2018 Forbes Global 2000, Banco BPM was ranked the 831st.[2] Banco Popolare and BPM, then Banco BPM have been designated as a Significant Institution since the entry into force of European Banking Supervision in late 2014, and as a consequence Banco BPM is directly supervised by the European Central Bank.[3] [4]

History

, the date of formation, Banco BPM is the third largest retail and commercial banking conglomerate by pro forma total assets in Italy, behind UniCredit and Intesa Sanpaolo, and surpassing the former third largest bank Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (€164.385 billion at mid-2016). Although the Bank of Italy, the central bank, and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), the national investment bank, technically have larger total assets than Banco BPM, they operate in a different line of business.

, Banco Popolare had total assets of €123.699 billion and net assets of €8.876 billion in a consolidated basis,[5] while Banca Popolare di Milano (BPM) had a total assets of €49.698 billion and a net assets of €4.571 billion.[6] However, they had a similar size in terms of market capitalization, both already suppressed Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena.

The shareholders of Banco BPM are the former shareholders of Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano in a proposed ratio of 54.626%:45.374%.[7] After the capital increase of Banco Popolare in mid-2016, the final exchange ratio for the merger was 1 share of Banco Popolare to 1 share of Banco BPM, as well as 6.386 shares of Banca Popolare di Milano to 1 share of Banco BPM.[8]

Banco Popolare and BPM themselves were both originated as Popular Banks (Italian: banca popolari), a kind of co-operative bank in Italy, based in cities such as Bergamo, Verona, Modena, Novara and Lodi (Banco Popolare) and Milan, Rome (BPM) respectively. They merged and acquired many banca popolare and cassa di risparmio (savings bank) to become the 4th and 9th largest retail and commercial banking conglomerate (excluding CDP) as of 31 December 2015, in terms of total assets, according to a study of Mediobanca.[9] Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano were about to demutualize in 2016, due to Italian Law No.3 of 2015, but the two banking group forming a new public società per azioni directly, instead of demutualize themselves. A new subsidiary, Banca Popolare di Milano S.p.A., would be establish to run the brand of BPM for a few years. Eventually BPM's subsidiary Banca Popolare di Mantova S.p.A. became the new Banca Popolare di Milano S.p.A..

On 10 February 2017, the "year zero" financial results was announced. Due to 2016 capital increase of Banco Popolare, the new banking group had a pro forma CET1 capital ratio of 12.30% at 31 December 2016.[10]

In the first year of establishment, the bank sold its asset management subsidiary Aletti Gestielle SGR to Anima Holding for €700 million.[11] [12] In the next year, the bank securitized a bad loans portfolio of €5.1 billion gross book value, credited it as "Project Exodus" and sold the securities to the market. The bank also applied for Garanzia sulla Cartolarizzazione delle Sofferenze (GACS), a state guarantee scheme for the senior tranche of the securities.[13]

Controversies

The current Banco BPM CEO Giuseppe Castagna has been investigated because he gave bank fundings for millions Euro towards his Communion and Liberation personal friends facing several conflicts of interest, receiving business favors from them in 2012; but the accusation has been archived in 2016.[14] [15]

He was later investigated to be involved with insider trading practices for Banca Popolare di Milano (Banco BPM branch) in 2017 but the accusation has been archived in May 2018.[16] [17] [18]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: FY 2019 Group Results Presentation. 26 April 2020. Banco BPM.
  2. Web site: The World's Largest Public Companies List [2008]]. 2018. circa. 23 June 2018. Forbes.
  3. Web site: European Central Bank . The list of significant supervised entities and the list of less significant institutions . .
  4. Web site: European Central Bank . List of supervised entities . .
  5. Web site: Consolidated half-yearly report at 30 June 2016. 13 September 2016. 21 September 2016. Banco Popolare. https://web.archive.org/web/20161012014721/http://www.gruppobancopopolare.it/media/sites/2/Consolidated-HYR_30th-June-2016_WEB-2.pdf. 12 October 2016. dead.
  6. Web site: Relazione finanziaria semestrale del Gruppo Bipiemme al 30 giugno 2016. 12 August 2016. 21 September 2016. Banca Popolare di Milano. it.
  7. Approval of the merger project by Banco Popolare and BPM. 24 May 2016. 21 September 2016. Banco Popolare, Banca Popolare di Milano.
  8. Joint Press Release. 1 July 2016. 21 September 2016. Banco Popolare, Banca Popolare di Milano.
  9. Le Principali Banche Italiane. 25 October 2016. 23 June 2018. Le principali società italiane. 2016. 1721-274X. 298–299. Mediobanca. it.
  10. Results as at 31 December 2016. 10 February 2017. 13 February 2017. Banco BPM. https://web.archive.org/web/20170214102522/http://www.bancobpm.it/media/2017-02-10-Banco-BPM-FY-2016-results.pdf. 14 February 2017. dead.
  11. Closing of the disposal of Aletti Gestielle SGR S.p.A.. 28 December 2017. 23 June 2018. Banco BPM.
  12. News: BRIEF-Banco BPM confirms sale of Aletti Gestielle to Anima. 5 August 2017. 23 June 2018. Reuters.
  13. Banco BPM completes "Project Exodus". 19 June 2018. 23 June 2018. Banco BPM. Verona.
  14. Web site: Riciclaggio, i soldi nelle casseforti lussemburghesi di Intesa Sanpaolo e Ubi e quell'inchiesta archiviata - Il Fatto Quotidiano. July 2016.
  15. News: Soldi in Lussemburgo, ecco i nomi . Italian . Money in Luxembourg, here are the names . Vittorio . Malagutti . Gloria . Riva . June 30, 2016 . L'Espresso.
  16. Web site: Nozze Banco-Bpm, Procura Milano apre un fascicolo d'indagine per aggiotaggio - Il Fatto Quotidiano. 13 January 2017.
  17. Web site: Insider .
  18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180624150302/https://it.reuters.com/article/itEuroRpt/idITL5N1SW4D6 Reuters