Analys: Släpp lite på kraven mot Italiens banker

Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena S.p.A. (Italian pronunciation: [ˈbanka ˈmonte dei ˈpaski di ˈsjɛːna]) (BMPS) is the oldest surviving bank in the world and the third largest Italian commercial and retail bank by total assets, according to research from Ricerche e Studi, using 2014 data. However, the proposed merger of Banco Popolare and Banca Popolare di Milano would make Banca MPS the joint third largest, using 2015 data (both around €170 billion in total assets as at 31 December 2015). Founded in 1472 by the magistrates of the city state of Siena, Italy, as a "mount of piety", it has been operating ever since. In 1995 the bank, then known as Monte dei Paschi di Siena, was transformed from a statutory corporation to a limited company called Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena (Banca MPS). The Fondazione Monte dei Paschi di Siena was created to continue the charitable functions of the bank and to be, until the bailout in 2013, its largest single shareholder. Today Banca MPS has approximately 2,100 branches, 26,000 employees and 5.3 million customers in Italy, as well as branches and businesses abroad. A subsidiary, MPS Capital Services, handles corporate and investment banking.