The stock of ABN Amro, which in the early afternoon marks an increase of 10%, after reaching +15%. To trigger the wave of purchases were the rumors about a possible interest for the Dutch bank, now nationalized, by Bnp Paribas, the largest banking group in the Eurozone.
According to reports Bloomberg, the French financial giant would recently requested a meeting with the Dutch government to discuss the possible deal. The Hague executive, however, would not be seriously examining the interests of the French and, at least for the moment, the preliminary contacts would therefore not have led to real negotiations.
The Dutch state, he argues Bloomberg, may prefer another route: sell more shares on the market, in order to raise funds and at the same time maintain control of the institution.
Spokesmen for the two banks did not comment. As for the Dutch Ministry of Finance, it specifies in a note that it "cannot make any public statement on the specific considerations regarding the sale of the stake in Abn Amro". Except to add that, as long as it holds a stake in Abn Amro, the ministry "regularly dialogues with various interested parties on a wide range of topics related to this stake".
The Dutch state saved Abn Amro from bankruptcy during the 2008 financial crisis, with a nationalization that required an investment of almost 22 billion euros. In 2015, the institute was listed on the stock exchange and, subsequently, the Dutch government sold part of its share, while retaining the majority.
